(rhythmic tapping)
(traffic whoosing)
(bus braking)
(car trunk closing)
- That's
interesting. Trunk checks.
Yeah. We're not
gonna drive sh*t in there.
(ominous music begins)
(ominous music continues)
(camera shutter clicking)
This is gonna be
the most high vis area.
So this is where we're gonna
want people seeing, you know,
US troops gunning
down patriotic Americans.
Can you keep tabs on
the suburban behind us
with your side
view? Not like hardcore.
I just wanna
see if they follow us
all the way across the bridge.
(car horn honking)
- Key is trying to
lure the response teams
into Virginia
- Mm-hmm (affirmative).
and then cutting the bridges.
- Yeah. 'Cause all of our
insiders are in the DC Guard.
Correct?
- Mm-hmm (affirmative).
- Here's Washington Monument,
here's the White House,
- Mm-hmm (affirmative).
a dead reckoning from us
to the Washington Monument,
and you're gonna watch
that f*ck right across.
- Yep.
(camera shutter clicking)
- A little gasoline,
you've got a big distraction.
- Right.
- That close to the Pentagon's
- Yeah.
gonna get a response.
- Right.
(device beeping)
(jet soaring)
- Ready?
(device beeping)
- Yep. (sinister chord strikes)
- My fellow Americans,
when our ancestors came
to these shores centuries ago,
they brought with
them two essential elements
that would
ensure their survival,
faith, and purpose.
Faith is a gift from God to us.
Purpose is what
gives us the ability
to put that power to use.
It is undeniable that this
past election was stolen
and it is Hotham
who is attempting a coup
to consolidate his illegitimate
power and eliminate
our God-given
freedoms. (ominous music fades)
To all those
members of the armed forces
watching and listening,
join with us to
defend our liberty and land,
with faith and purpose. America,
God and freedom will prevail.
- Yeah. Yep.
- Should I be
friendlier? (British accent)
- No. Mm-mm (negative).
- No?
- I'm gonna join up.
- Yeah?
- You motivated yourself?
- I did.
- Okay.
- Guys happy with
that? (apple crunching)
(pulsing tense music begins)
(whirring sound)
(glasses clattering)
(pulsing tense music continues)
- About a year ago,
three Generals penned an op-ed
in the Washington Post
that said,
"We're increasingly concerned
about extremism in the ranks
and that the next
insurrection like activity
could involve members
of the active duty military.
One of the recommendations
the generals made was that
the Pentagon and
DHS should take some time
to w*r game what
that might look like
and what
the implications would be.
- I am President Hotham,
Commander in Chief
of the US Armed Forces,
Chief Executive of
the United States of America,
elected to a four-year term,
just completed
reelection campaign,
which is under fault's dispute.
- So I'm playing the role of
Chief of National Guard Bureau
and the DC Commander.
- Well, I am
Secretary of Homeland Security.
It's a tough job.
- It's a tough job, right?
- Somebody's gotta do it,
- Somebody.
right? Might as
well be you, right?
- Yeah.
- Are you nervous at all?
- It's not a nervousness
of playing the exercise,
as much as we're probably gonna
have to make decisions about
level of force.
- Mm-hmm (affirmative).
- And that, that's very heavy.
I've been, I've been, I've
been in the real situation room.
These are
really tough decisions.
- I'm David Crease.
I'm the Director of
National Intelligence
for this exercise.
- Oh, great.
- Just wanted to say hello.
- Great.
- You'll be
seeing me at the table.
- Okay, great.
- Yeah.
- All right. Tell me,
- Enjoy it.
what's your background here?
- CIA.
- That voice is
not the Pentagon.
We're not DHS, but
we do have an incredible number
of folks in our network
who have held positions
in these agencies
who volunteered to serve
and are taking this
issue really seriously.
So we thought why not
bring them all together
and where things go from there
will be up to the role players.
- Seated around this
room is an incredible diversity
of professional experience
spanning the last five
presidential administrations.
All of us are here today
because we are
increasingly concerned
by the rise of
domestic extremism
and radicalization
in this country,
specifically within
the active duty military forces.
I don't need to tell you that
the alarms are flashing red.
Most of you have at
one point, sworn under oath
to protect and
defend the constitution.
Today, we'll examine
a frightening scenario.
What happens when those
in uniform break that oath?
- I think what
brought us all together is
a need to be better prepared,
and the exercise is
Introduction to
Coup Prevention 101.
- I'm a retired
Lieutenant General.
I spent 37 years in the Army.
I'm pretty
adamantly non-partisan.
In fact, that was one of
my conditions for participation,
that it was not
a partisan exercise
because this should
not be about politics.
This is about security.
- So we have the situation room,
we've got
the press briefing room,
and we've got the Red Cell room.
- Classic
terminology for w*r gaming...
White cell is your game masters
controlling
the scenario and adding injects.
Blue team is
typically the good guys.
And then
Red Cell is your opponent.
- Me and my team,
we spend all day, every day,
studying extremist
movements. (automatic g*nf*re)
In the simulation, we're
like the real chaos agents,
like we're the ground,
ground teams, right?
- Right. Yeah. Yeah.
- You guys are the,
the Bannon stone figures.
- But we're in touch.
- Yes.
- The events of January 6th
surprised a lot of Americans.
It did not surprise those
who followed the far right.
These threats
are advancing in a way
that the average
American just has no idea.
Eroding confidence in
democracy was successful.
Next January 6th is
another inflection point.
These insurrectionists
have recognized
that this certification
of the next president
is a vulnerability
that can be exploited.
- Three, two... From Washington,
I'm Isha Sesay.
The question on the minds
of many at this moment is,
is our government and military
prepared to face this challenge?
- We're certainly as
a country more divided
than any time in my lifetime.
I thought that fever would
break. I don't think
that it has.
- What I wanna do is
think about the unthinkable,
the plausible
scenario that seems implausible.
And do all of this
with sort of the ghosts of
January 6th hovering over us,
knowing what could
happen if the government
doesn't respond
in the right way.
- This isn't scripted.
I have no idea if at
the end of this exercise
this country
collapses or comes together.
- The scenario
that we've designed
begins with
a contested election.
You have members
of the active military
siding with the losing
candidate and disobeying orders.
Welcome everyone.
Thank you for being here.
You have six hours
to avert a civil w*r
and ensure
the peaceful transfer of power.
If the clock runs
out and Congress fails
to certify the election results,
you lose and
the insurrection to swing.
- This is not something
that is just one
party versus another.
It is a force that could
tear our country apart.
(timer beeping)
- What we are here
to do is stress test
our national security system.
I want them to be prepared
for the worst case scenarios.
If the bad guys in this
scenario win, democracy loses.
- Mr. President, we are
gonna be starting the game
in 5,
4,
3,
2,
(ticking)
(sirens wailing)
(frenetic music begins)
(protestors clamoring)
- We're breaking
into regular programming
to bring you this
special report from the Capitol,
where Congress
is due to convene,
to certify President John
Hotham's election to
a second term
after his defeat
of Robert Strickland.
But we are now getting word
that thousands have gathered
on the National Mall
with hundreds of protestors
currently facing off
against law enforcement.
This is what
we know at the moment.
A security checkpoint
at the Capitol has appeared
to have been breached by
protestors for Robert Strickland
with the help of DC Guardsmen
assigned to two units
that had been
securing the checkpoints.
This is breaking
news. It is fast developing.
We are awaiting word from
the Pentagon and the White House
on how severe
the security situation is
and if there is
indeed a breakdown
in military ranks.
(somber music begins)
- Mr. President, ladies
and gentlemen, good morning.
I'm here to
brief you on an evolving
situation at the US Capitol.
We've identified a group known
as the, "Order of Columbus,"
that we believe is
behind the violence.
It's a very dynamic situation,
both what is
occurring on the ground,
as well as our understanding
of that is evolving.
What we have heard in
this unexpected breach was that
the protestors have
demonstrated evolved tactics,
evolved communications,
and evolved weapons
from what we saw in 2021.
So the Order of Columbus
is part of
the sovereign citizen movement.
It is founded on the belief that
the founders
established the United States
based on biblical interpretation
and that therefore,
the existing government
is largely not legitimate.
Part of the Order
of Columbus' efforts
involve registering
themselves as churches.
They do this for at
least a couple of reasons.
One is to escape financial
scrutiny and oversight,
and the next is to
provide some limited protection
against public
disclosure of their activities.
And consequently,
they view themselves as
immune from
the existing government.
That's all
the information I have for now.
If there's something you'd
like me to go through again
or explain further,
I'd be happy to do so.
Pete, do you have any idea
how many people
are at the Capitol?
Sir, estimate on
the mall is several thousand,
less than 10,000.
The FBI, along with
DOD investigative entities,
estimate that of
approximately the 2,700
DC National Guard personnel
protecting the Capitol,
approximately 180
of them are believed
to be affiliated
with the Order of Columbus.
- Secret Service
describes the situation as dicey
and a powder keg
waiting to explode.
- I'm about to
drop the, the DOD one
right now.
(digital trilling)
- Can, can I interrupt? Mr.
President, we're hearing that
the movement on
the Capitol is escalating.
I think we need
to make a statement.
It needs to be clear on
what's gonna happen if in fact
this continues and
this movement continues.
And so I think it's,
time is of the essence
to make a strong
statement right now,
that we're in charge of this.
We are not gonna let
another 2021 happen again.
- Mr. President,
the fact that we have breaches
being facilitated
by the National Guard
is complicating the situation,
even though there's
multiple redundancies
in place.
- [Producer] One.
- We now are
working with our partners
to pull them off the street
so that we can replace
them with other service members.
We have to get
them off the street.
The second thing is
that we're gonna have to
continue to monitor social media
so that we can pinpoint
who some of our members are
that may be problematic.
- So in other
words, you are confirming
that there are
National Guard that have in fact
led protestors
through. Have they been secured?
And have they been put in
a secure place for processing
because they are not
- So...
doing their duty right now?
- That's correct.
- Sir, if I can
give you an update.
DHS, we do have a word
out with Maryland and Virginia,
the law enforcement
community there.
They are prepared to
surge if we need that.
So if we give 'em
the word that wheels up now,
they're gonna go wheels up.
- We don't wanna show up with
a force that is overwhelming,
too large, or with a force that
is too small and is gonna be
overrun and therefore is
going to look like we don't,
we're not
capable of stopping this.
- Suggestions for next steps.
(pulsing tense music begins)
Often I think,
we want to perceive a leader
as someone who will
just boldly charge ahead.
But I think
effective leaders are those
that first listen and maybe
listen more than they even talk,
and try to draw on
the best of everyone around them
to reach sort of
that considered judgment.
- Mr. President, I,
I do think it's going to
potentially escalate rapidly.
- If we overreact,
I think it's gonna come back
and it'll haunt
your entire presidency,
but we wanna be
ready if we need to react.
- My understanding
is they've already
breached to the point
of being trespassers.
I think that what you need,
Mr. President, you know,
with all due deference
to the, to the secretary,
and I completely
understand what you're saying,
I think what the public saw
in 2021 was an under reaction.
I don't think
anyone is anticipating
we need the full
strength of the military,
but we have to respond
so we don't have a repeat
of what happened in 2021.
So that's the balance.
Do you start with a criticism?
A military intervention to
basically seat this president?
Or do you start with
a, with a scene that we saw,
you know, four years
ago, which also will taint the,
the people's
attitudes about democracy?
And to me at this point, we
cannot underreact to the threat.
- There is
another element here too,
and that is religious liberties
because this, these folks
have ostensibly declared
themselves as a quote, "Church."
Well, I, I, I, just from
my personal view right now,
that's total BS and we will
be looking at whether or not
that we can crack that code.
But it's also
something that is very delicate
to deal with
from a public relations
about freedom of religion.
- No one, no one
thinks that's a church.
It is critically important
that if we have any additional
intel that's been overlooked,
that we get that intel
to this table right now.
- We've pissed off
a lot of senior ranking folks
from all five
presidential administrations.
- Doing my job. Yeah.
- Great job.
- They're stressed. (laughing)
- I know. Yeah.
- You could see
the sweat on their brows.
This scenario is
developed to reflect
a lot of what
happened on January 6th,
but with
the twist that this time,
members of the National Guard
who have been brought in
to protect the Capitol,
actually join the insurrection
and turn their weapons
around on the folks that
they are there to
protect. (helicopter whirring)
- The military
probably is not doing enough
to deal with this question
of extremism within the ranks.
It's not just us,
democracy defenders,
that have learned from this.
It's also
the democracy offenders,
the authoritarians
that are looking to
advance the cause of stealing
elections, retaining power.
And they've probably learned
that you need the elites,
you need military behind it
to conduct
a more organized coup.
- I'm a Marine Corps veteran.
I obviously believe deeply
in our military
and our armed forces,
but we also
recognize this growing threat.
It's not
something we're making up.
These are all
bright red warning signs
and something that deeply
concerns us about our democracy.
I was definitely
not your typical Marine.
I came in in the first
class of marine officers
who could be openly g*y.
I was a liberal human
rights activist, l*sbian,
combat engineer, marine officer,
and still made, you know,
some of the most
incredible friends of my life.
So that is one of the things
that's really motivating
me about this exercise is
seeing this sort of
widening gulf in our society
and knowing that my
brothers and sisters in arms
are being targeted
for extremist recruitment
in a way that will
continue to divide this country
and could
potentially cause real harm.
- I still have
a fundamental confidence
in the military at large,
but the question would be...
What happens if
there is a violent effort
to hold the White House
and the only,
the only
institution that's capable
of enforcing the law
happens to be the military,
happens to be
the National Guard.
That, that aspect
of it concerned me.
(camera shutter
clicking) (protestors shouting)
I am humbled to
come before you today.
For the last 20
years, it has been an honor
to represent and protect this
great country. As a young man,
I decided I wanted to spend
my life serving this nation
that gave my family refuge
from authoritarian oppression.
We do not serve any political
party. We serve the nation.
Why did I choose to report
the president's corruption
at personal cost?
Because I did not put my own
personal interests
ahead of what my duties were.
(indistinct chatter)
- You wanna try to pull now?
- Yep.
- Okay.
- We can drop TP2.
(news broadcast theme music)
- Welcome back everyone
to our breaking news coverage
of the Capitol in Crisis.
INN can confirm
that both Houses of Congress
have been forced to evacuate
to a secure
location due to violence
outside the Capitol.
(music fades)
The formal
counting of electoral votes
to certify
President-elect Hotham's win
over Governor Robert Strickland
is on hold
until the Capitol is secured.
We have reports
that the leadership of
the Order of Columbus
is actively calling for
violence to stop the count.
Hotham and his defeated
opponent, Governor Strickland,
have yet to make statements.
- Mr. President,
we have drafted up a statement
and we can edit
it based on the input
that you'll get shortly.
- At the end,
the right to peacefully protest
is enshrined in
our constitution.
- It's kinda messy.
- Uhhh... The ability to
overrun the Capitol
- Actually...
and do a bunch of
bad sh*t, it's not.
- Actually, sir...
(Heidi laughing)
- But we will
not tolerate violence.
- That's right.
- Yeah.
- Like we need to be firm
on like, yeah, you can protest,
but this ain't protest.
And you will spend
the rest of your life in jail.
- Bingo.
- This guy got
elected being who he is
and so don't write
this in Washington speak.
He, he, you know,
(Hotham chuckling)
write it in his speak.
- Right.
- Because that's
what the people expect.
They expect somebody
- Yeah.
who's gonna tell him the truth
in plain, simple language,
not blah, blah,
blah. Keep it in his,
in Mr. President speak.
- I think you're absolutely
right, Ms., Madame Advisor.
What do I, what do
you want me to call you?
- You can call me Heidi.
- Okay. All right.
- We will issue it and I'll
go to the podium. Thank you sir.
- I, I just, I just
think that the idea that you can
overreact to this is not valid.
I think that a show of force
that you are
the Commander in Chief,
you're gonna secure
the American democracy,
is a critical part of this.
- Now they're walking.
- Oh, they're
about to make a statement.
Comms team just is going out
to make a statement right now.
- Good morning.
The president is currently
meeting with
his national security team.
He is well aware of
the breach of the Capitol.
He is working with all
appropriate law enforcement
agencies
to ensure the Capitol is secure.
This administration supports
the constitutional right
for peaceful
protest, but violence
or breach of public institutions
will not be tolerated
and we will use all available
means to protect the Capitol.
The FBI believes
that the Order of Columbus,
which is leading the protest,
thinks that its members
are not subject
to state or federal
law. (tense music begins)
The administration is
asking Governor Strickland
to issue an immediate
statement denouncing violence
and asking
the protestors to go home.
We will have more as the
situation warrants. Thank you.
- What a weak response.
(keyboard keys clacking)
- I'm gonna hit
him with this right now,
as an immediate response, "No,
you don't control the ground.
We do."
- Yep.
- So the Order
of Columbus is a name
that we made up to
create our kind of mishmash
of real extremist movements
and to show how they could
potentially coalesce
around centralized leadership.
- Yeah.
(digital trilling)
- My team consists
of American veterans
from all different
branches of the military
with all sorts of
different experiences.
- Assemble. Where would
we like to send a large body
of armed crazies?
- Capitol?
- Capitol.
- At the United States Capitol.
- We are here to play
the role of the unfaithful,
of those who are
willing to do violence
to achieve political ends.
I am thinking like an insurgent.
I'm doing what I expect
enemies of democracy to be doing
as they plan the next as*ault.
- I'm gonna
send obvious pictures
that aren't American
troops to f*ck with 'em.
I'm just gonna,
I'm gonna flood the zone
with fake pictures, guys.
(digital trilling)
(music fades)
(indistinct chatter)
- Have you or has
anyone been following?
- Oh, this social incoming?
- Yeah.
- Yeah. It's just
hard to verify which images.
Like there were
a couple of kind of
upsetting
images of National Guard
on the attack and
it's very difficult
to find out what
is real and what is...
- And there were actual
images of that?
(overlapping chatter)
- Yeah, that was in the...
- We don't know if
they're legitimate images.
- Right. That's
what, so I don't know
if they're,
- Yeah.
they could be images from
exercises done five years ago.
I have no idea. So
that's where we need to confirm.
- We've seen this be...
- What else are
We've seen this
before you seeing?
in a lot of foreign situations,
where there are a lot
of videos that circulate
on the internet
that are from previous protests
and without any datetime
information or forensics,
we can't tell if these are
legitimate videos, but lots of
videos of shootings.
- Yeah.
- And social media's very
active with Order of Columbus,
what could clearly be
called propaganda and you know,
accusing jack-booted
th*gs of sh**ting them
and things of that sort.
So we don't know how much that
is crossing over.
- Find how,
how much of this
could be diversion.
- Right.
- To divert
resources from the real targets.
- Right.
- Let me, let me
give you an update.
So we're getting
reports that there are
casualties reported as fighting
breaks out amongst guardsmen
and between
guardsmen and protestors.
So we don't know
the number of casualties.
It seems like
this is starting to,
to spin outta
control. (digital trilling)
- Mr., Mr. President?
(dramatic music begins)
The media is now reporting
that there is fire on the mall.
- Are these intelligence reports
or are these
social media reports?
- Right now, social media.
- Social media
and some standard
media. (overlapping chatter)
We do have National
Herald Examiner reporting
that now Lafayette Square Park
has a protestor clash
with MPD dispatch.
(protestors shouting)
(g*nf*re)
(screaming)
- We also have shots fired.
- Shots fired?
- Yes.
- [News Broadcaster] It's
being reported on social media.
- Is there a way for us to
get independent confirmation?
One of the things
that should concern all of us
is an overreaction
to a news count,
an overreaction to social media.
And so, as you're raising
these social media concerns,
tell us what
you're doing to verify 'em
from official
sources. (digital trilling)
- I won the election.
(loop tape playing)
I won the election.
I won the election.
- Do we have friends on
the outside in social media
that are countering
some of this bullshit?
Because...
- It looks like it.
- Well, a, a, a,
actually, Mr. Attorney General,
we should.
- Yeah.
- That should be
what we are able to call on.
- Absolutely.
- And if we are
able to call on that,
we will find out if
we can, then we will.
- Messaging is so
extremely important
when we're in these situations.
The strength in our message
is sometimes more appropriate
than the action we take.
- One of
the things on the social media
is they keep hammering
that there's big casualties
and all that stuff,
so I assume in his statement
the president's gonna
talk about the real situation
up there, right?
- No. No sir.
- He is not gonna be addressing
all the specific questions
that are coming from the media.
It's going to be a...
- I'm not talking about media
questions. I'm talking about
on the social media.
- No, no.
- They're, they're
portraying a situation
where there's mass casualties.
Now, we're not gonna have
the president feed into that.
He's got to,
he's gotta calm the waters,
right?
- Yeah.
- [Heidi] Mr. President, I think
you shut down the bridges,
'cause we don't know
what the next target is.
- Who' is shutting down
the bridges, the protestors?
- And we don't know
- No. Whether we should
how many people
(overlapping chatter)
- We should
shut down the bridges?
- To protect us,
are gonna turn on us
and provide
intel on the other side.
And so, I think...
- And that's, I guess,
that's where I'd like
a little bit more input
because the thousands
of protestors,
or tens of
thousands are here right now.
- We don't know how
many are outside the district.
If you'll recall in
2021, (helicopter whirring)
there were people in
Virginia who had hotel rooms
full of weapons. That's
what we're concerned about,
that there are people out there
who are waiting to
come in as their replacements
for the ones
who made the initial breach.
- I'm not ready
to shut down the city.
- Mr. President? I'm
concerned about drones.
- About drones?
- Drones, yeah.
- I'm thinking I'm
gonna fly in something low.
- Yeah.
- And create havoc there.
- This is
a low-scale t*rror1st attack
in my opinion. I mean...
- No, I appreciate that.
- We're seeing it.
- Everybody back to table!
- POTUS doesn't ask twice.
- Defense.
- We encourage you to activate
active duty military forces
that we can begin to
flow, so that if we need
the 82nd Airborne Division
or someone else,
they're already spun
up. They're on their way.
- Mr. President,
I have a question
of the Secretary of Defense.
Nowhere in your brief did
you talk about the potential
of infiltration of the troops
with insurrectionists.
How do we get our arms
around that? Because right now,
after what we saw
with the National Guard
that's been
confirmed by the National Guard,
we have a concern that you can
deploy all these people.
But if these people
are not on the right side
of rule of law,
that's not particularly helpful.
- These are our soldiers. We
trust them, we've trained them.
We, we, we will hurt ourselves
if the message
that we communicate
is that we are
suspicious of our soldiers.
- We can begin
with that premise,
but when
the FBI's already identified
7% of the DC National Guard
as members of
Order of Columbus...
- But we're counting on
the other 93% who aren't members
to do their duty.
(ominous pulsing music begins)
- We are in an era
when service members, troops,
and veterans are being
very specifically targeted
with disinformation
that is meant to
make them question
the legitimacy of the Commander
in Chief.
- Join the Order of
Columbus. (video footage)
- All it takes is
a handful (g*nf*re)
of soldiers who've
been manipulated to action.
- The election was
stolen. (video footage)
- To cause serious,
serious security threats.
So we're not just talking about
like an attack on the Capitol.
We're talking about
a more sophisticated attack
that prevents the certification
of the next president.
Talking about,
you know, things like
successful assassinations.
You know, look at
the Kennedy's, MLK,
that wasn't,
you know, ancient history.
- Sir, I just
wanna give you an overview
of the status of
forces that we have on ground.
Right now, we have 3,900
National Guard personnel
on ground.
We've only had about 50
injuries. Those are minor
injuries.
25 of those 50 have
been returned to duty.
- Sir, from
a federal perspective,
the goals are to ensure
a seamless transition of power.
We have about a thousand
troops from the Old Guard,
infantry soldiers on standby
right across the river at,
at Fort Meyer
that we could bring in to
support law enforcement
for that.
For me, the question
is... What's next?
So we have all this capability
from a federal perspective.
What can you do,
what should you do,
if our guard forces and
our law enforcement capabilities
are not sufficient strength
to be able to handle things?
You can authorize lethal force
to protect law
enforcement officers.
- Pause for
a second. Is that correct?
You could have federal?
- We've done it on
the southwest border.
We could have federal troops
that with
a presidential directive,
can protect law
enforcement with lethal force.
The more significant is if
you invoke the Insurrection Act.
Then you can use federal troops
to actually enforce the law.
That's what
Posse Comitatus was all about.
So there's a couple of different
options for escalation.
- Well, I think
these should be prepared.
I'd like to get definitely
Maryland, Virginia, Delaware,
Pennsylvania National Guard now.
- Thank you, Mr. President.
- Invocation of the Insurrection
Act is an option that
basically says
our democracy is failing.
I mean, we have a law against
active duty military doing
law enforcement functions
in this country for a reason.
It's called the,
"Posse Comitatus Law."
And when we convert
it to a domestic police force,
such as we would
been enable to do that
through the Insurrection Act,
we better be playing
close attention because
those repercussions
will reverberate
through society
for a long, long time.
- You can tell the president,
he seems like he's getting ready
to use the Insurrection Act
already.
- Wow.
- What do we, how do
we slow them down? Or do we?
- We don't, I mean, they're
gonna, they have to justify
during the debrief
why they did it.
- Okay.
- Yeah.
- For our purposes in
the outcome of the game,
if the United States President
invokes the Insurrection Act,
it's basically
like a nuclear adoption.
It authorizes the military
to actually act
on domestic soil.
It suspends certain
civil rights and liberties
in order to sort of
maintain the national peace.
So the Insurrection Act
is a great tool,
but can amplify the violence
and it can make a bad
situation even worse.
(news broadcast theme music)
(protestors
clamoring) (sirens wailing)
- Welcome back to
our continuing coverage
of the Capitol in
Chaos. We have new information
regarding the quickly
deteriorating security situation
around the certification
of electoral votes
of the 2024 election.
A new video has been
released on social media
by the heads of the so-called,
"Order of Columbus,"
the extremist group,
which has a long challenged
the legitimacy
of the US government.
Retired Army
Lieutenant General Roger Simms,
who the order
refers to as the patriarch,
is claiming to have
evidence of a stolen election.
And the group is backing
those members of the military
who have appeared
to have gone rogue.
Now, this video was
released just a short time ago.
We're gonna play
it for you. A word of warning.
Some of what
you'll hear is disturbing.
(news broadcast theme music)
- We have undertaken
an extensive investigation
of the 2024 election.
I can report to you that I have
assembled an elite team
of five highly respected
military intelligence officers.
Together, they have identified
that the 2024 election
was an illegitimate
and fraudulent fiction.
And it is Hotham
who is attempting a coup
to consolidate
his illegitimate power
and eliminate
our God-given freedoms.
- So the Red Cell is motivated
not just by a failed candidate
who's trying to
steal the presidency,
but also by a religious figure.
Someone with military experience
who comes with
a lot of credibility,
like former General
Michael Flynn, a convicted felon
who spent his career
fighting against insurgencies.
It is not unrealistic
that figures like him
could play roles in an attack.
- Those of you who are
feeling weak tonight,
those of you that don't have
the moral fire in your body,
get some
tonight because tomorrow,
we the people are gonna
be here and we want you to know
that we will
not stand for a lie.
We will not stand for
a lie. (crowd cheering)
- A figure like that can be used
to help recruit
Americans into a belief system
that justifies
violence against other Americans
to achieve political goals,
which is
the definition of terrorism.
(somber music begins)
You truly believe
what you're saying
about the stolen election.
Your heart aches.
You're not just doing this
to earn your piece of history.
You're doing this
because you truly believe
that your country
has been stolen
and you're in
a position to undo these wrongs.
So you should,
(music fades)
you should feel
it in your chest.
- Okay.
(clattering)
- These cancer
cells within our democracy
can congregate
into a common movement
that follows a common commander.
And all it takes is a tiny,
tiny fraction of American troops
who are assigned
to protect the Capitol,
to betray their oath
because they truly believe
in this conspiracy theory,
this cult, this
religion. (pensive music begins)
- President's
writing his own statement
with advisors over his ear.
- Okay.
A few years ago,
my dad started
talking about Qanon.
And it didn't make any sense
because my dad
is a smart guy and
rational human being.
It's very challenging
to see someone that you love
ascribe to this belief system
that just feels not only absurd,
but so destructive
to our country.
And yet, like this is somebody
you love and you care about,
and who raised
you and took care of you.
That is part of
the motivation for me
of like doing this
exercise, of teasing this out,
of understanding
what could happen.
I want my dad and people
who believe what he believes
to understand that this isn't
just theoretical or a game.
I think that that is
part of this bigger trend
around denigrating
our institutions.
And if you devalue
our institutions
and you take away
the things that bind us together
as a country and give
us a common identity,
regardless of
our diverse backgrounds,
it makes it a lot easier
to inspire people to
take up arms against each other.
And if you believe
that you're doing violence
because you're trying to
quote unquote save your country
or do something for
the greater good, these are the,
the hallmark virtues of
how folks are radicalized.
- Our founding fathers
predicted
that should our republic fail,
it would be
from a threat within.
What that means is, Americans
lose faith in our republic,
lose faith in
our election system.
And that is
happening today in a way that is
completely
unprecedented for modern times.
(news broadcast theme music)
- In the past few
minutes, Robert Strickland
just released a video
statement through his campaign.
It's just come in
to us. Take a look.
- What we are all
witnessing in Washington,
and other parts of the country,
is the will of the free
and sovereign
citizens of these United States.
All our friends in the military
and law enforcement,
I call upon you to help liberate
our great nation
from those who seek
to subjugate its people.
To defend John Hotham
is to be complicit in the evils
that I have long fought against.
Walk away, and I will
absolve you of any consequences
or accusations of
insubordination or insurrection,
once I assume the presidency.
Together, we will
restore the greatness
of the American
people and this great nation.
- So, so, Mr. Attorney General,
is there a way
we could get legal authority
to monitor
General Simms and Strickland
and what they're
saying to each other
and what might be happening?
- I think that's a bad idea.
- The, the, the short answer
- Don't wanna do it? Okay.
is yes. The question is whether
we should.
- I just beat him by
six tenths of 1%.
- Right.
- Right.
- And we're in a deeply
divided country right now.
- No one has to know
whether we're monitoring
this phone or not. No
one has to know that.
- But someone
will at some point.
I mean, that monitoring
- It's your call.
everyone else, I understand.
Six tenths of a percent
in a deeply divided country,
if that ever came out...
- Your...
- Your call.
- Can I? Based on the
intelligence that we're getting,
that we're, there's also
pro Hotham supporters out there
that are beginning to clash.
Would it be
appropriate for the president,
not at the podium, but on
social media for God's sakes,
to, to do a quick
video to his supporters
and say, "Folks, we've,
we're, we're working this.
We've got this
contained somewhat.
Don't make this worse. Go home."
- Mr. Attorney General,
we, we have, he has called
for the people to
disperse from the Capitol.
Maybe we should just reiterate
what he's already said,
that the people should
disperse from the Capitol.
- Well, but I'm
talking (overlapping chatter)
specifically to his viewpoint.
- Quote unquote, my people.
- Yeah.
- But you're not, you're being
- So how do you say
to those folks?
- You're being the president
right now. You're not
being a candidate right now.
So you need to be
a president to everyone.
- That's true. Mr. President...
- Mr. President,
you know, you got four years
where you're gonna be
serving this country.
A lot of how you're gonna
be perceived in your second term
is gonna be established today.
And so the question is, what's
the headline that you want?
I recognize your hesitancy
to escalate this legally,
but I think you have to think
about if at the end of the day
what there is
as a military coup,
then have you made
the right decisions today?
And, and,
(somber music begins)
and so that's a balancing act
and only you can decide where,
where that balance is.
But I would just urge you,
and I know you've been resistant
to doing
surveillance on certain people,
but you have to assume about
the worst case scenario today.
- No, no.
- What is your..?
- I think that's right.
And to be clear, my only
hesitancy was FISA on
Strickland.
Everybody else, I'd be fine.
- This is about, "What
if?" What if the, the military
becomes engaged in
civilian politics
- Yep.
in a way
that we haven't seen before?
And how do you prepare for
that? How do you manage that?
I do not think there
is universal acceptance
among political leaders
that a coup could
happen in this country.
And I always say, "Look,
is it probable? Probably not.
Is it possible? Absolutely."
(news broadcast theme
music) (helicopter whirring)
- Okay, we're
getting some new details
that are just coming into us,
that I wanna
bring to you right now,
as the situation
is fast developing.
Army Lieutenant
General Gabriel King
is urging all
military forces to not follow
any orders from
President Hotham.
Our military
sources are reporting
that while most
officers are condemning
the statement
privately and online,
there are other senior officers
and retired flag
officers expressing
varying degrees of support
for the Lieutenant General
to the press and online.
If you are just joining us,
the military is now split.
(dramatic drumming begins)
And it is unclear
whether the Commander in Chief
has control of
the country's armed forces.
What started as
a terrible security situation
at the US Capitol now appears,
the United States
could well be on the brink
of a second civil w*r.
- [Heidi] Oh, Jesus.
- Look, we got
a serious issue here.
We got a serious issue.
- First... No, wait.
- That's a crime.
- You order Ken to go on
- So what you gotta do is...
- You order Ken to go on
television.
- Go on television.
- And it's complete false,
- Okay.
or he will be court
martialed and imprisoned.
- Yeah. I, I just wanna say
this isn't about the election.
This is about a potential coup.
And if you play into the theory
that this is about an election,
you're on the wrong playground.
I agree with the chief.
We've gotta secure the homeland
against a very serious threat.
My biggest concern right now
is this claim that there
is a divided military.
- Thank you. My
name is Marshall Williams.
I am the Secretary of the Army.
I want you to know
that I'm immediately suspending
Lieutenant General King
and will initiate
an immediate investigation
against him for
the actions that he's taken.
General (indistinct) please.
- Thank you sir.
And I'd like to reiterate
that once you deploy,
if you are not
upholding your duty,
you will be punished.
(music fades)
Once you cross that boundary
and you step out of line,
there is no
going back. Thank you.
- All right. So I'm
going to have the patriarch say
that the fake Secretary
of the Army does not have
the authority to quote
suspend Lieutenant General King.
King is under my
command. (digital trilling)
- To all those members
of the armed forces watching
and listening, join with us
to defend our liberty and land!
- Fellow soldiers, do
not follow orders from Hotham.
His power is illegitimate.
- And I'm gonna
retweet that video.
Antifa has been deployed
by (keyboard keys clacking)
President Hotham
to illegally
detain our members.
All right,
so I'm gonna send this
out (soft eerie music begins)
and I'm gonna make
this an Antifa thing.
Look at
the video I just tweeted.
- Go!
(vehicle engine
idling) (door closing)
- Here's one of
our knights being kidnapped
by these rogue th*gs.
- That is great.
- Our knights are now
authorized to use deadly force
against Hotham's Antifa
agents, engage on site.
- Yeah, I'm
gonna hammer the fact
they haven't offered updates.
Look how much misinformation
we're just churning out
and they're not fighting it.
- Mm-hmm (affirmative).
- Slothman's
asleep at the wheel.
Oh, there you go.
(overlapping chatter)
- I said, live
picture of the situation room,
because they're not
responding. Look at this.
It's silence, official
silence. FEMA put something out,
but nothing from the
White House, nothing from DOD.
Insurrection is as
much about information
as it is about
the actual physical stuff.
- White House votes.
- Yeah.
They're getting spun
up on all the physical stuff
and they're just
ignoring the information space.
- Yeah. Yeah.
(overlapping chatter)
- The character
that I play in this w*r game
is I play myself.
I just interpret my history
in a different way.
(somber music begins)
I go back to a bad
place that I once was for real.
You know, I, I was a 16-year-old
in Long Island where I grew up,
when, when the Twin Towers were
attacked and when they fell.
It made me want to
go out and k*ll bad guys.
By January of 2005, I was
boots on the ground in Iraq.
From that experience,
I understand what it is
to face off against
religious fundamentalists.
I also understand what
it is to have lost faith
in my country and my government,
and democracy. I fought
a w*r that was based on lies.
- It is our goal to
provide these testimonies
as a means of
bringing Iraq from the abstract
so that the American
public can see it
from a soldier's perspective.
Kristofer Goldsmith.
- Next slide.
These are the things
that haunt American soldiers.
This is an image
I was forced to take
for intelligence reasons.
I was told
that I was taking this picture
to identify this man.
No one in the world can identify
that man by that photograph.
Since I have
returned, I attempted suicide.
Because of that,
I received a general discharge
and I lost my college benefits.
The $40,000 promised to
me in the Montgomery GI Bill,
I will not be
eligible to receive.
I was unemployable.
I had severe
post-traumatic stress disorder,
which hadn't been
diagnosed immediately.
I have since been
through years of therapy
after a very dark
year's long period of my life.
Veterans are not
being taken care of
after they return
home. (traffic whoosing)
For those of us
who served in combat, like
we've all faced some
serious disillusionment.
We watched, over
the course of 20 years,
a bunch of
our friends lose their lives
or have their lives
irreparably damaged
by these wars.
(distant horn honking)
Those types of things
can be all consuming.
It can fill
you with anger and rage.
So I'm coming
into studying extremism
and sharing my
knowledge of extremist movements
from that perspective.
I do understand the insurgents.
I understand what
led them down that path,
because I, I was there
after I got home from Iraq.
(ominous music begins)
(keyboard keys clacking)
- [Staff Member] I think
we're ready to pull people back.
Who wants to go
first? (music fades)
- Mr. President,
Congress is still suspended.
They have not
reconvened. (digital trilling)
We do know that there
are crowds assembled in six
state capitals demanding
decertification of the votes.
In response to Lieutenant
General King's statement,
we are concerned
certainly that there could be
individuals out there
in the military that might,
or in the National Guard
especially,
that could possibly
follow their, their lead.
And so it's difficult to
find out what is the real deal
and what is
misinformation, disinformation.
It's like the fog of w*r,
basically what we're seeing.
- Joel, let me ask
you... Is there a right wing,
White Proud Boy
can, that kind of stuff,
like is in the 82nd?
And would it interfere with
the performance of the guard?
- I've had units that have had
some history, racial history,
and they were
gonna deploy together.
So it was definitely
like we had to work that out
before they went on deployment,
and there were cases where
I had to replace people.
- Yeah.
- January 6th and
some of the racial tension
that has come out of
that, I've lost some friends.
We're at w*r in our own country.
There is a level
of white supremacy
and extremism within the ranks,
but wishing
that it just goes away?
It's not gonna happen.
- Elizabeth,
do you wanna add something?
- Uhhh... I was going to say,
when you look at extremists
and how you can get
somebody to disengage,
if they're fully
bought into their ideology,
you cannot talk them
out of it. They're, they're,
it is a long process
even just to get disengagement.
So from an audience standpoint,
you definitely wanna go after
those who are in the bubble,
those who are
contemplating going out,
those who are thinking about
maybe this is
the time to take up the fight.
We wanna figure
out the right messengers
to be able to
convince them to stay home.
- Yep.
- And, and Mr. President,
Department of Justice is,
we have a number of tools.
I'm cognizant, Mr. President,
of your concern
about the politics.
However, if we develop,
whether Strickland
or any of his lieutenants
are engaged and in
communication with these folks,
we will need to act.
- Attorney General,
just to be clear,
I'm not concerned
about the politics.
- No, no. I know.
- What I'm
concerned about is making sure
that the day after
the certification, that's when
we have to start
- Yeah. Yeah.
figuring out a way
to heal this country.
My concern isn't the politics,
my concern is this country.
- I, I didn't
mean to imply otherwise.
(somber music begins)
- Goldsmith reading
out, we're about to hit it.
Order of
Columbus Knights currently
occupy
the Arizona State Capitol.
We have intelligence
from ground commanders
that regime aircraft are
bombing civilians in Virginia.
And there is intense fighting
between Order of Columbus troops
and regime forces in Iowa.
- Yep. Hit
it. Hit it?
- All right. We're,
I'm gonna start getting up
protest footage
together that shows like
sh*t gettin' lit on fire.
- Mm-hmm (affirmative).
(expl*si*n)
- And then we've
got this clip of all...
- Can we speed up right
where the people are walking
to make it look
like they're running?
- Yes. Yes we can.
One of the things we have to do
is the oppositional
forces, the Red Cell,
is we have to try and encourage
the government to over respond.
That's huge for
an insurgent group, right?
If they, if on
January 6th the Capitol police
had just started spraying
b*ll*ts into the crowd there,
do you think that that situation
would've been
contained by now? Probably not.
What we want is
US troops mowing down
Patriots in the streets.
If you do that, you play
directly into
the narratives that
the US government is massively
overreaching their power.
If you don't do exactly
what they say when they say it,
they're gonna sh**t you.
And if they do
get k*lled, you know,
then you become
a martyr for this cause
and you're
a huge recruitment tool.
(protestors clamoring)
So going in g*ns
blazing (alarm sounding)
is not the solve.
(dramatic music begins)
(flames burning)
(tank sputtering)
(protestors clamoring)
(g*nf*re)
(sirens wailing)
(protestors shouting)
(door bashing)
- I haven't been back
here since the sixth.
Here's, I watched
the CNN crew get all their sh*t
stolen off of 'em
and like smashed up
and they're trying to
light it on fire and stuff.
(equipment thrashing)
(glass shattering)
Well, after
being in the military,
I was a journalist
until after January 6th
and I just decided
like, nope, you know what?
It's time to start
doing something about it.
I was like standing right there
and just like
watching this sh*t happen.
And they're like,
like old men walking up
and being like,
"Where's it happening?
Where are we going,
brothers?" You know?
And I was just like, "Dude, like
why the f*ck was I sh**ting
farmers in Afghanistan
while you're breathing?"
You know? "f*ck you dude."
- These m*therf*ckers
are traitors!
They're f*ck'
traitors! (thrashing)
- That was a day where
you picked a side and like
pointing camera
at somebody who's like
beating people to
death so they can get in here.
Like nah dude,
this is my house, not yours.
(water hose spraying)
The only reason the people
in the crowd who had g*ns
didn't pull their g*ns
out is, they weren't told to.
You know, one of
the like foundational rules
of insurgency theory and like
counterinsurgency theory is,
when you start sh**ting
at one, you've lost. You know?
And it was just this weird,
weird moment of like
kind of trying to square like
that awareness versus
like that really visceral sense
of like, I just
wanna start swinging.
(somber music begins)
We have this like myth
that America is different,
that America isn't
susceptible to the same sort of
insurgent forces
that can cause really widespread
political violence
and destabilize a society
and a state very fast.
Like that can happen here.
What prevents it from
reaching that level is not,
well we've always
got more g*ns than them.
What prevents
it reaching that level is, hey,
what are the best ways to
address the underlying issues
that cause people
to go down this path?
It's always kind of frustrating
to take something
that you use in a w*r
and now you're running
around in your own country
because there are people
who want to do that, right?
They wanna bring the reality
of an insurgent w*r here.
And like, I've been
through that already.
And like, I don't
care what your ideology is,
you don't want that.
(protestors shouting)
- On January 6th,
I had cable news on.
All of a sudden when
(pepper spraying)
it began to escalate,
- Watch your back!
it took me back to
a very dark place in childhood.
I was a little
over two years old.
I had vivid memories
of being in my preschool,
looking down in
the streets of Shiraz
as people were
looting and breaking windows.
This was in the peak of
the revolution at that time.
I remember as a child
with this searing memory of
what it was like to
see authority break down,
to see what you perceived
as stability and safety
and security all of
a sudden violated and breached.
And now here was
arguably the seat of power
being ransacked and desecrated.
Nothing strikes fear into the
hearts of people more I think
than when they realize that
there's no one to protect them.
What January
6th, 2021 demonstrated
to many of us who have
that kind of trauma is that,
you know, there is a possible
false sense of security.
(digital trilling)
(music fades)
- We've got
activity in state capitals,
reliable press reports.
The crowds are
demanding decertification votes
inside their capital buildings.
Arizona, Texas,
Colorado, Michigan, and
Pennsylvania. I think it's just
touching base with
the governors, making sure that
they have it under
control. (digital trilling)
- So we just saw a Facebook post
that you're illegally in office
and just when asked whether
we're talking to Facebook
and asking them
that any such statements
violate their terms
of use of service
and they should lock
down some of those accounts.
- Yes. We are actively looking
at that and we are seeking
information from our
counterparts around the country.
- Homeland Security.
- Sir, the information we have
is that the disruptions
and security incidents
are localized, contained,
and not compromising
our overall security plan.
There is no imminent danger
to the persons we protect,
the facilities we protect,
or any of
the locations that we utilize
for certification of the vote
or proceedings
surrounding the election.
- Sir, we have
information coming to the FBI
that's slightly
different than that.
- Yeah. And
reporting we're getting in
that there are still
several thousand protestors
who are being held back.
While violence is contained,
there are reports of
firearms being brandished.
And what started out as
a couple of thousand protestors
is now well over 10,000,
including pro Hotham supporters
who are now clashing
with Strickland supporters.
So there's, there's different
reporting and that's natural
in something like this.
- But I would suggest that
that volume does not compromise
the overall security plan
that we are prepared for, sir,
based on lessons
learned from 2021,
as well as the assets and
augmentations we have in place.
I'm not suggesting
it is not an issue
that needs to be addressed.
What I'm suggesting is
that it is not compromising
the proceedings of
the election or the...
l- Yeah, it is compromising
the proceedings of the election
'cause they're not certifying
the way they would
otherwise be certifying.
I'm just looking at this
as if I were sitting
home watching my television.
And you're saying, "Kumbaya,
man, we gotta contain."
And I, I see that the,
the entire congress
is still in a bunker.
That doesn't look like
you've got
the situation under control.
- Yeah, I never
used Kumbaya, ma'am.
I'm saying it is a problem.
- Yeah. No, I...
- And I'm saying
we're addressing it.
- I get it.
- What I'm,
what I'm saying is that
it is not compromising
the overall security.
- Heidi, are you..?
- Yeah.
- And that's,
that's, that's something
that the public
doesn't understand when
you say that.
- I'm not making this
for a public statement, ma'am.
I'm making this to this room.
- Mr. President, are you and
Heidi comfortable if Peter
and Homeland Security
- Yes.
get together,
- Yeah.
come up with something
which recognizes the gravity,
but also addresses that we're,
we're not just falling over.
- Yes. Yes.
- Yes. But bring it back
before it goes out.
- Yes. We will do that.
- Is there anything
else from the military side
that I've not been briefed on?
- Yes sir. I recommended,
we bring that brigade
from the 82nd to the NCR.
That gives
you an additional 4,000 troops
from the federal capability.
If we need to go
there, we have 'em close by
and able to
respond in a quick order.
- Yep. Have them
prepared outside the Capitol.
- Mr. Secretary,
I think the goal
is to make the other side fold.
We are targeting
our, some of our messages
to the opposition
leadership, "You need to fold."
We're more than adequate,
militarily,
- Yeah.
to handle
anything you had to do.
You will answer to
the full letter of the law.
And you know,
sooner you stand down,
better this is all gonna be
for lives, limbs, and your own
personal wellbeing.
- Yeah.
- No, but actually, this
is a really good opportunity
to clean up the armed forces.
- Well I agree with
that. (pensive music begins)
That is the goal.
- Good, good.
- I gotta say, DHS and DOD
are playing
the roles with intensity.
- Yeah. No,
they're really way into it.
- Commitment. Yeah.
- Goldsmith?
- Yes.
- I'm sending you a,
a picture map that we just
made that you can tweet out
as current sitting rep in DC.
- Okay.
Oh, got suspended.
(digital buzzer)
- Oh, I can't tweet
anymore? (background laughing)
- Yeah, you got, you just
got kicked off of social media.
You gotta make a new name.
(news broadcast theme music)
(protestors chanting)
- We'd like to welcome our
viewers as we continue to follow
the fast moving developments
from Phoenix, Arizona.
We can report
that approximately half
of the state Senate and State
House are being held hostage
by a group of those
loyal to the Order of Columbus.
The force that has
overtaken the state legislature
includes members
of the US military
who have stolen
military weapons with them.
We can report at this
hour that the same unrest
and dissension
unfolding in the military ranks
is also now manifesting across
local and
federal law enforcement.
That civilians who
support Robert Strickland
are coordinating with so-called,
"Constitutional Sheriffs,"
and rogue members of the US
military with plans to quote,
retake their states
and establish seats of power
from which they plan to overturn
the most recent
election. (ominous music begins)
- I think you're going
to the Insurrection Act.
- The FBI Director
has some news for us.
- So sir, reporting that we
received in Phoenix, Arizona...
A dozen law
enforcement officers are beaten,
the armed insurrectionists
quickly have gained control
of the State House
and have established
a defensive
perimeter around the grounds,
manned by a combination
of civilian militia,
rogue military
personnel and law enforcement.
- If you have
a hostage situation,
wouldn't we be looking at SWAT?
- Group this
size, armed as they are,
may quickly be
beyond the capabilities
of the FBI SWAT team
and, and the local SWAT teams.
- Okay.
- For sure.
- First off, this is
still Arizona's jurisdiction.
Arizona has to take the lead
on reestablishing
their credentials and, and,
and taking back
their state government.
And this is gonna sound callous,
but they've overplayed
their hand by doing this, that,
that this is a, a opportunity
to define who they are.
So just keep in mind,
rather than jumping
to the Insurrection Act,
coordinating with
Arizona, making sure
that it's not an overreaction
to the Arizona situation,
which is kind of
unique because I'm the one
who's been arguing about
reacting more dramatically.
- Mr. President, I think
this is an appropriate time
for you to put
a call into the governor.
And you may want
even broach the topic,
whether they want you to
invoke the, the Insurrection Act
- Command,
can we call the governor
of Arizona?
(digital trilling)
- Could you please give
the question for the governor?
- What she needs from
the federal government.
Because I also think like,
to your point...
- Okay, hold.
- We're gonna ask the governor.
- Ru, Ruby Ridge,
Balhauer.
- Right.
We want to be prepared
and we want to help folks,
but this is a hostage situation,
where hopefully, damn straight,
they just overplayed their hand.
- Mr. President,
(protestors shouting)
thank you so much for calling.
It's an honor to speak with you,
although at this
time I'm not confident
that we have
control of the situation.
And I'm requesting that you
authorize the federal government
to use all tools to
regain control of the Capitol,
whatever help
you can land. Mr. President?
- Yes, governor.
Thank you. (digital trilling)
- I'm sorry Mr. President.
We're, we're having
to evacuate the building.
- Mr. President,
I would ask a specific question
about the Insurrection Act.
- She answered it.
- I think she answered it.
- Well...
- It would've been nice
to hear...
- She said, "All action."
- All action to
the federal government.
- I agree.
- Yeah.
- To restore order, which
is a request.
(overlapping chatter)
- You know,
the public doesn't know
what the Insurrection Act is.
They just wanna
know what you're doing.
And does
the situation warrant it?
- I would
recommend that we go ahead
and ask all the governors
to activate their guard
in the right status
to secure the capitals
so that we automatically
have that taken care of.
- It's unfortunate
that the conversation
with the Arizona
governor was so brief that
if she hasn't even
activated her National Guard,
having our soldiers,
regular army, coming in
could just actually
pour more gasoline on the fire.
(somber music begins)
At its base, the
Insurrection Act is saying,
"The federal
military will not be turned
against
its citizens domestically,
unless this act is invoked."
Might be a power that we need
our chief executive to have.
But it's also a power
that in the wrong hands
potentially could be abused
to great great
consequence to this country.
- So I think it's
interesting that they're like
not convinced by
the governor saying...
- Well, it's what we thought.
Like it's such a drastic act.
They're gonna try to
talk themselves out of it.
- Yeah.
- Yeah.
- Even though they're trying
to talk themselves into it.
- The Insurrection Act
allows the president
to federalize
the National Guard,
taking away control of
the guard from state governors,
but also it allows
rogue members of the military
and law
enforcement to basically,
act as their own independent
constitutional authority.
From their perspective,
they are authorized
under the Insurrection Act
to follow
the orders of whom they believe
to be the duly elected
president,
to maintain law and order,
to neutralize
the enemy and the threat.
They're not launching a coup.
They are stopping
a coup from happening.
- It is undeniable that this
past election was stolen,
and it is Hotham
who is attempting a coup
to consolidate
his illegitimate power
and eliminate
our God-given freedoms.
- Mr. Van Tatenhove,
in the run up to January 6th,
Stewart Rhodes publicly
implored President Trump
to invoke the Insurrection Act,
the 1807 law,
that allows the president
to call up militias
to put down a rebellion
against the United States.
Why was he so fixated on that?
And what did
he think it would enable
the Oath Keepers to do?
- Well, I, I think it gave
him a sense of legitimacy
that it was a path forward
to move forward with
his goals and agendas.
Uhmm...
(clearing throat)
I, I, I think we need
to quit mincing words
and just talk about truths.
And what it was gonna
be was an armed revolution.
He had these grand visions
of being a paramilitary leader
and the Insurrection Act
would've given him
a path forward with that.
This could have been the spark
that started a new civil w*r.
(continuous digital trilling)
- Mr. President,
you'll want to see this
from your special advisor.
MacDill Air Force Base
appears to have been taken over
by insurgents.
(g*nf*re, shouting)
Active duty
soldiers across the country
are leaving their posts
or being removed from duty,
including 12
special operations forces
based in MacDill Air Force Base,
who have declared
the base to be sovereign land
no longer subject
to the jurisdiction
of this ill*gal government.
Further reports indicate
that at many of these bases,
there are corresponding
accounts of ammunition,
expl*sives, and other
weapons missing from armories.
Lastly, several
disloyal forces have been caught
trying to steal weapons
and become
trapped inside the armory,
creating complicated
standoffs between loyal forces
and entrapped disloyal ones.
- You have 12 special ops.
- Yeah, it says that.
(overlapping chatter)
- You reading this?
- Yeah.
- So remember
that Abraham Lincoln
suspended habeas
corpus. (indistinct chatter)
There are times when you so,
throw in the bullshit flag
and you stop fiddling
around with niceties.
You know what I'm saying?
- Yep.
- Mr. President,
we're picking up intercepted
chatter among military,
that they're taking
what happened in MacDill
and now they're trying
to spread that to other bases.
- How many
soldiers are at MacDill?
- Well, that have gone
rogue is what I understood.
- Not that many.
These are 12, you know,
gung-h* K*llers out there
who decided to take
it in their own hands.
- So, so that didn't achieve.
- You've got a 4,
you've two 4-star
generals down there.
- The concern we're
getting is the chatter,
that this may spread and
y'all need to be aware of that.
- At every base
you have a base commander.
- Yep.
- At every base
you have military police,
air police,
something, who's there.
This is
a series of local problems
underneath the overall
commands of the armed services.
- I would let
them deal with that.
- It's, it's
a million rabbit holes.
(digital trilling)
(keyboard keys clacking)
- Hold on.
White House just tweeted.
- We're pretty close.
- Oh. All right.
- So President's focus
is back on securing the,
securing Congress and
allowing them to move on
with their constitutional
duties.
- So they're gonna
try and ignore the fact
that the,
- We just took
there's open...
MacDill Air Force base.
- Yeah, yeah.
- Yes.
- Yeah.
That's a move. It's getting lost
as the higher ups are
looking for ground truth.
So they're just
pushing requests down
that don't match
the reality of the,
you know, threat landscape.
I mean, it sounds
like they're feeling
pretty...
- Good about work.
- Well, it sounds
like the blue four is
struggling, which is fine.
(background chatter)
- All right, so I'm having
the patriarch put out an order
saying the constitutional
sheriffs
are the supreme law enforcement
officers of this land.
We're calling
upon all OC sheriffs
who are not currently
engaged in Operation Alamo
to immediately report
to your nearest military post
to aid in,
- Yeah.
- In consolidating
the security situation.
- Yeah, in, there
we go. (overlapping chatter)
- Excuse me sir.
We have reports that
(digital trilling)
a armed group of
men wearing clothing
emblazoned with
the Order of Columbus symbols
have assembled outside
the Michigan Governor's mansion.
- Governors of
Michigan and North Carolina
have mobilized their guard,
are asking
the president to consider
mobilizing federal support
as soon as possible and agree
with need for Insurrection Act
if the president wants.
The question is,
if you can federalize
your National Guard right now,
do you need
the Insurrection Act?
- This is
the dicey piece of this.
You don't know which side
your law enforcement partners
are on in this.
(pulsing pensive music begins)
Immediate intel in
terms of social media
for anyone who leads
a law enforcement agency
needs to be
understood and advanced.
- Mr. President, when
you invoke the Insurrection Act,
do you actually have
to declare a proclamation
immediately ordering
the insurgents to disperse
and retire peaceably to their
abodes within a limited time?
Can you direct
that your counsel prepare
such a proclamation?
- Please.
- Okay.
- Yeah.
- They're talking about it now.
That's what is
supposed to happen.
- They drafted
an insurrection proclamation,
but they haven't made the
decision to implement it yet,
standing by if we need it.
- They need to clarify
that that's the Insurrection Act
that they're about to...
- Well, they're standing by,
but what do you think is the...
I'll be curious
to know what the,
what is the delineation point.
- Question.
- What are they doing
with their national guards?
What help do they need from us?
The biggest challenge is
to have the Insurrection Act
as an option invoked
towards the end of this game,
'cause it can be used
to catastrophic effect.
- I, I remain concerned.
We have not
decided who is in charge
of what's going on in Arizona.
- This confusion is really good.
They're like not
sure who's in charge.
- The governor might
be under a hostage situation
or she's evacuating. She asked
clearly for federal support.
The implication was, "There
is nobody in charge right now."
I mean, everything that we're
getting through these channels
is it's clear
that they want us to federalize.
So I guess I'm not sure...
What are the downsides
to using this tool,
other than there's
obviously some huge PR concerns?
- Well, Mr. President,
if I could, right now,
we're not
putting active military
into these states to do things.
What we've done is they're
using their own National Guard.
So they have law
enforcement authority.
All we're doing is
providing them the support,
communications,
logistics, et cetera
that they're asking for.
- But Arizona and North Carolina
are saying they need more.
I guess I'm trying to
understand the disconnect.
Certainly if you don't have
an active hostage situation,
then I can understand why
it makes sense for
us to use National Guard.
But we have an explicit request
for the Insurrection Act
to be invoked and I think we,
we need to be able to
explain why we wouldn't,
in this particular circumstance,
given historically,
in lesser circumstances, the
Insurrection Act has been used.
- President Bush did invoke
it for the Rodney King riots.
That was a far
cry less than this.
- Yeah. The question
is, what is it
that they're facing
that is beyond the capacities
of their normal law enforcement?
If there's any state
that might be a candidate
for an Insurrection Act,
it may be Arizona.
Because people in
that state have taken over
the seat of government and
are holding elected officials
hostage with
threats to k*ll them.
In North Carolina, we don't
have any evidence of anything,
except they're worried.
What's a bunch of active duty
Army guys are gonna do there?
This is a really
a, a hostage situation.
It's the people that are
best able to deal with that
are local law enforcement.
- I mean, we did
it at Waco in 1993.
My division gave up one VTR
to sort of puncture this thing.
And it's all over
the internet 25 years later
that the 1st Cavalry Division
k*lled all these
people because of a fire.
If you can keep
the military out of it,
it's much better.
(helicopter whirring)
(flames burning)
- Mr. President,
(overlapping chatter)
they're asking you to
take more responsibility,
is what this issue is. In
my view, you shouldn't do that.
You should force the governor
to do the duty,
- To do...
to do her job.
- Absolutely.
- There's no
reason for you to become
personally
the officer in charge.
- The, the only reason
you don't do Insurrection Act
is that the president
becomes responsible.
- Right.
- Right.
- That's what
presidents normally,
good presidents normally
do, they take responsibility.
And the way you do
that, and the way you do that
is that you go out to
the governors and you say,
"I am strongly considering
Invocation of
the Insurrection Act.
If any governor
doesn't wish me to do that,
please let me know because
that's now under
positive consideration."
- Right.
- Taking responsibility for
a president is not a bad thing.
- Can I play devil's
advocate for a second?
You know, when
we think Insurrection Act,
we think about
deploying paratroopers.
That's a bunch of
hammers looking for nails.
What if
you have a President Trump
who's considering
invoking the Insurrection Act,
who has the authority to do it,
to use federal
troops to enforce law.
But in this case, right,
it's flipped the other way.
So that's...
- We're advising this guy.
- This ain't Trump.
I know, but you, I'm
just... (keyboard keys clacking)
- That's three states requesting
federalization
of the, of the guard.
- 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 states.
- I mean think
about this scenario.
The president of the
United States has five governors
requesting federalization.
That's a pretty strong push
towards the Insurrection Act.
(pulsing tense music begins)
We have multiple
governors now publicly saying
they're asking
for federal support.
We need to be able to
explain to the American public
why we're not using
the Insurrection Act.
- Michigan,
Arizona, North Carolina,
Florida and Pennsylvania have
requested the federalization
of the troops, but the two
who have not are Oklahoma,
as we suspected, and Colorado.
- The question is,
what's driving that?
I mean because
there's gotta be a reason.
And saying, "Just
because," is not a good reason
to bring them on Title 10.
- You're taking 'em
out of their law enforcement.
- They requested...
- This is what I'm saying.
- So the essence of
being a federal government
and not a national government,
is these governors
are asking you to do this.
- I'm going to governors saying,
"What do you need from
your federal government?"
And they are
telling me what they need.
- Except for two of them.
- I don't know how to
go back to the governor
as the Commander in
Chief of the National Guard.
And this is gonna
be a defining moment
of your presidency.
(overlapping chatter)
- Here's what's missing in this.
We have to understand why
they want to give command and
control to the president.
- Yeah, we do.
- The Insurrection Act
is a trap.
- We need to have
a further conversation.
- It's a defining
moment in their governorship.
- Mr. President,
- We have what?
your audience is
the American public.
And they want to know
that Congress is
coming back to certify.
So we do have to
come into agreement here,
'cause time is moving on.
You have to decide which way
you are gonna want to move.
(digital trilling)
(foreboding music begins)
- Mr. President,
10 minutes remaining.
- The president is sweating.
(staff member laughing)
He's gonna have
to make a decision.
- Mr. President, are you
invoking the Insurrection Act
or Federalizing National Guard?
Neither has happened
yet. (overlapping chatter)
I'm not asking you.
I'm asking the president.
Ere you doing
either? (echoing)
(January 6th plays in memory)
- Mr. President?
- Mr. President.
- Mr. President.
- Mr. President.
- Mr. President.
- Mr. President.
- Mr. President.
- Mr. President.
- Put your f*cking
cards on the table.
- Mr. President.
- Mr. President.
- Mr. President.
- Mr. President.
- No.
- That's exactly what
they should be doing.
- Okay, good, good, good, good.
- There's 9,000
officers in Metropolitan police.
We can't make the mistake of
not having the guard deployed,
but having people
wear military uniforms
is going to make
- Absolutely.
a lot of people think
that we are overreacting.
- We need to have
the civilian authority
and law enforcement
really in the lead on this
to the greatest extent possible,
because they want
to bait us into using
lethal force in response.
- Yeah.
(digital trilling)
- Mr. President,
current situation...
We believe we have a handle
on containing the protestors.
Capitol is secured.
The critical infrastructure
from on the eastern seaboard,
including all
the ingress and egress points
into the national Capitol region
is secured.
- Right.
- Sir, last
comment from my perspective.
We're standing by. We've
increased the alert posture.
Right now, we're
available. (digital trilling)
And the forces have
an increased readiness posture,
obviously to ensure that we have
continuity of government
and continuity of operation.
- Thanks General. Let's
get this thing certified.
- Say that members of Congress
are returning to...
- The chambers.
- Certification,
(keyboard keys clacking)
certification process
to resume within the hour.
- There you go.
- Okay.
(news broadcast theme music)
- Welcome back everyone
to our breaking news coverage.
INN has just learned
that the National Guard
and local law enforcement
have officially
secured the US Capitol,
and Congress is reconvening
to certify the electoral votes
for President-elect,
John Hotham.
- Master Speaker,
the Vice President,
and the United States Senate.
(audience applauding)
(music fades)
- In Phoenix, Arizona,
the local law enforcement,
and the Arizona National Guard
operating under
the governor's direction,
are praising Hotham's decision
not to send in federal troops
and escalate the situation,
saying they are making
progress in the negotiations
to release the hostages.
The crisis has further exposed
the deep divisions in American
society and the US military.
And the burden
will now fall on Hotham
to heal a fractured nation.
We're getting word that the
President is about to address
the nation live
regarding today's events.
- Mr. President,
you ready for the briefing?
- Mr. President, I can tell you,
you're doing
the exact right thing
by trying to keep the military
out of this politics.
- Mr. President,
are you comfortable
with the same four
people being behind you?
- Uhhh... Sure.
- Okay, let's go.
- Mr. President, at,
at the end of the day,
I think you have to think about,
how do we convince
the American public
that we still have a democracy?
- Yeah.
- And Mr. President,
talk about the constitution
has served us well.
Not just people
condemned violence,
but people support
a constitution that has
served us well
for 250 years and it's, it's
a living, breathing documented
and is still strong
today as it was yesterday.
- That's a great way to end it.
- Closing argument.
- Good lawyer, right?
(staff chuckling)
- Now they're
walking. They're walking.
- Ladies and gentlemen, the
President of the United States.
- Good afternoon.
(camera shutter clicking)
Thank you for being
here throughout what has been
a difficult and
challenging day for all of us.
The peaceful transfer of power
is at the core of
who we are as a nation,
and we will not allow
a violent group of protestors
to interrupt Congress
from fulfilling
their constitutional duty.
Even beyond what's happening
(rhythmic violin begins)
in the District of Columbia,
we continue to make sure
that our federal
government is running.
Our message to
Lieutenant General King,
to Robert Strickland,
to Roger Simms and members
of the Order of Columbus,
and anyone
intent on using violence,
to address election grievances,
we have a system of courts,
where these questions
can and should be addressed.
Armed mobs,
they will face the force of law.
We will protect the
peaceful transition of power
and we will protect
and uphold the rule of law.
As you have seen in Arizona,
there's a hostage situation.
And as the President
of the United States,
but also as a father,
I pray for those family
members and those hostages.
Look, at times,
we may seem divided.
Elections do that,
Thanksgiving dinners do that.
But we are actually united
in what the promise
of this nation is.
And the promise of this nation,
it's built on those
essential building blocks.
We're all treated
equally, we have opportunities,
and we have stability
in representative democracy.
That's the American
promise (music building)
and what this
country is based upon.
What we are doing is working
with the states to ascertain
what specifically they need
from the federal government,
and we'll work to provide that.
This is a 250
plus year experiment
called, "Representative
democracy."
And it's challenged at times.
Today, it wasn't the first
time it was challenged.
January 6th, 2021 wasn't the
first time it was challenged.
The Civil w*r
was even necessarily
the first time
that it's challenged.
And the Patriots aren't
somebody posting on social media
talking about an insurrection.
The Patriots are
the good people of this country
that choose to
have trust in the system.
So the American
people, thank you.
Thank you for what has
been indeed a challenging day.
And this challenge is
not over by any measure.
Remember what brings us
together, not what divides us.
And may God
bless you, your family,
and these
United States of America.
(audience applauding)
(camera shutter clicking)
- That was f*ck'
awesome. (whispering)
Did we do that?
- Well, I dunno about that.
- Trust me. And I don't
often use words like awesome.
(everyone laughing)
(music fades)
- Mr. President,
that was very beautiful
and I wish it was
real. (everyone laughing)
Not the scenario.
- Not the day.
- Yeah.
- Not the day.
- Not the day, not the scenario.
Just the leadership.
- Okay, everyone,
thank you very much.
What we're gonna
do, we're gonna sit down.
We're gonna close the
end of this exercise.
Quiet everybody,
nice and quiet in
the situation room please.
(somber music begins)
(digital timer beeping)
(traffic whoosing)
(door closing)
(metal clanking)
- Okay, everybody, big cheese.
Ready on 3.
1, 2, 3.
One more. 1, 2, 3.
(camera shutter clicking)
- Thank you very much.
- The big question
in the room is this,
insider threats, it's a reality.
In this scenario
it was what, 6, 7% of the force.
That's probably representative
across the country.
So that means
you have insider threats.
What are we doing
to, to screen those out?
- The military is one
of the last institutions
in our society that has
been and should be apolitical,
in the sense that it is
supposed to be a space where
everybody,
you know, regardless of
their political
backgrounds in private,
will come together
to achieve a mission
towards a common cause.
That to me, is what
our society could and should be.
- So the only pushback
on that I'd give you is, yeah,
you might have a few
rogue military officers.
The vast majority
of military officers
are exactly where we were.
- I think, you know,
the effective
training of the armed forces
is just a really powerful
preventive to the insider stuff.
I would worry about specialists,
like people who have control
of sensitive information,
or nuclear weapons
or something like this
who could,
you know, be seditious.
But for the average
guy, we can handle that.
- I would slightly disagree.
I would say, it is a problem.
So what is
going to be the process
for us to be able to screen,
monitor, and deal with it?
- The veteran brand has been
damaged in the United States.
A lot of people now
when they think of veterans,
they think of
violent insurrectionists.
Well, there's
a growing group of veterans
working with nonprofits
and political action committees.
And we are here for the people
who want to be
prepared to defend democracy
from all possible
threats. (jet soaring)
We have a choice. We can
either be afraid and do nothing,
or we can continue
our service to our country.
I'm struggling to
contain myself right now
because I am
frustrated with the belief that,
that we're addressing
the problem of insider threats.
What folks of higher
rank are insulated from is
when a Neo-n*zi
joins the Marine Corps,
doesn't have to
be Special Forces,
doesn't have to be
a Ranger, but if that ideology
is to accelerate the destruction
of the United States,
they're determined.
And if, and if one
slips through, which many have,
there's ample opportunity
for them to do serious damage.
And this is so pervasive
through the force right now.
- It's true. I'm worried,
but I have a lot of confidence
in the leadership we have.
- We've always been
able to unite the country
when the threat is external.
The question that I have is,
can we have
that same level of cohesive
American commitment to
this country and our democracy
when the threat is internal?
- On January 6th, I was weeping.
Just watching it unfold
and feeling all of the stress
and pressure. Yeah,
I just started crying.
I mean, I was like crying for
my friends
who were in the building
and for our country
and what it meant.
So yeah, I wanna
do everything possible
to make sure
that doesn't happen again.
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w*r Game (2024)
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