, IN THE TWIN CITIES AREA
ARE COMING FROM OUT OF STATE.
LELAND VITTARD SAW THIS
FIRSTHAND WHEN HE WAS COVER
ING PROTESTERS OUTSIDE THE
WHITE HOUSE RIGHT NOW AND
JOINS US RIGHT NOW.
LELAND WHAT DID YOU DISCOVER?
LELAND: GOOD EVENING TO YOU,
NEIL WHEN YOU COVER THESE
PROTESTS YOU’RE EXPECTING,
PERHAPS FOR THERE TO BE VIOLENCE
ESPECIALLY WHEN THERE’S GOING TO
BE CLASHES WITH POLICE BUT THIS
WAS DIFFERENT.
WE WERE REALLY TARGETED OUR CREW
AND I, THE CROWD TURNED ON US,
IT WAS CLEAR IT WAS ORGANIZED,
AND THEN A MOB DESCENDED ON US,
CHASED US OUT OF LAFAYETTE PARK
THERE, THERE WERE 50 OR  60
PEOPLE WHO NO LONGER CARED ABOUT
THE SECRET SERVICE OR  YELLING
AT PRESIDENT TRUMP OR  TALKING
ABOUT THAT.
THEY CAME OUT AFTER US CHASED US
OUT, TOOK OUR CAMERA SMASHED OUR
CAMERA, TOOK MY MICROPHONE,
THREW IT AT ME, WE TOOK A LOT OF
BODY SHOTS IN TERMS OF GETTING
PUSHED AROUND AND SHOVED AROUND,
AND THEN FINALLY MADE OUR WAY
ABOUT TWO BLOCKS TO WHERE WE
COULD FIND A POLICE CRUISER AND
THEN THE POLICE THERE CALLED IN
REINFORCEMENT.
IT WAS THE MOST SCARED I HAVE
BEEN SINCE BEING CHASED OUT BY A
GROUP IN THE MUSLIM BROTHER HOOD
IT WAS CLEAR HAD WE NOT BEEN
ABLE TO GET OUT AND OUR SECURITY
YOU SEE THERE DID A GREAT JOB
AND THE DAILY CALLER WAS ABLE TO
CAPTURE IT CERTAINLY HAPPENED.
HAD WE NOT BEEN ABLE TO GET OUT
THINGS COULD HAVE BEEN A LOT
WORSE.
NEIL: LELAND HOW DID IT START
DID THEY RECOGNIZE WHERE YOU
WERE OR  WHERE YOU WERE FROM OR
JUST EXPLAIN HOW THEY CAUGHT ON
TO THAT?
LELAND: EXACTLY THERE WAS A
TRACKER, IF YOU WILL, WEARING A
HOODIE AND KEPT BADGERING US WHO
DO YOU WORK FOR AND THEN ALL OF
A SUDDEN HE PULLED OUT HIS PHONE
AND HAD ON TWITTER A SCREEN SHOT
OF ME AND STARTED PASSING HIS
PHONE AROUND AND HE SAID HE
WORKS FOR FOX NEWS AND AS SOON
AS WE CAME ON THE AIR AND I
STARTED TALKING BIG CROWD CAME
AROUND STARTING CHANTING "F FOX
NEWS" AND PUSHED ME FORWARD AND
NEWS" AND PUSHED ME FORWARD AND
THEN THE CROWD GATHERED AND
>>  HOW THREATENING WAS IT LAST
NIGHT ACROSS FROM THE WHITE
HOUSE.
A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE CONCERNED
THAT THE WHITE HOUSE, I KNOW IT
WAS A FORMAL LOCKDOWN, BUT
CONCERNED ENOUGH THAT THE
SECRET SERVICE UPPED THE ANTE
THERE TO PROTECT THE PRESIDENT,
TO PROTECT THE AREA.
THIS KIND OF SOUNDED LIKE IT
WAS ESCALATING PRETTY QUICKLY.
LELAND: KNOW HE QUESTION ABOUT
IT.
THE SECRET SERVICE INITIALLY,
AND I SAY INITIALLY, FOR HOURS
WAS VERY RESTRAINED, BUT WHEN
THE PROTESTERS STARTED TRYING
TO PUSH OVER THE BICYCLE
BARRICADES THAT FORMED THE
INITIAL BUFFER OF THE WHITE
HOUSE SECURITY.
THE SECRET SERVICE LET PEOPLE
CHANT AND PUSH AND AS SOON AS
THEY BROKE DOWN THE BARRICADE,
THE SECRET SERVICE CAME OUT
WITH RIOT GEAR I’D NEVER SEEN
BEFORE.
THEY WERE SECRET SERVICE
NORMALLY IN PLAIN CLOTHES AND
UNIFORM AND TAKE PRIDE IN MANY
VERY DISSECRET HOW THEY SORT OF
DO THEIR JOBS AND THERE’S NEVER
REALLY A BIG SHOW OF FORCE FOR
THE SECRET SERVICE.
NOW IT’S THERE, BUT THEY DON’T
SHOW IT AND LAST NIGHT THEY DID
AND THIS CROWD WAS PRETTY
VIOLENT.
THEY BROKE DOWN THE BICYCLE
BARRICADES THAT ARE LINKED BY
IRON AND WHEN THE SECRET
SERVICE PUT THEM BACK UP, THE
SECRET SERVICE USED THEIR
HANDCUFFS TO TRY TO LOCK THE
BICYCLE BARRICADES TOGETHER TO
KEEP THE PROTESTS BACK WITHOUT
USING THE RIOT SHIELDS AND THE
PROTESTS BROKE THROUGH THAT
WALL AS WELL OF THE HANDCUFFS
AND THE PADLOCKS AND WIRE.
SO THEY WERE RIGHT UP AGAINST
THE SECRET SERVICE.
THE SECRET SERVICE SHOWED
INCREDIBLE RESTRAINT AND
BROUGHT OUT PEPPER SPRAY, ET
CETERA.
ONCE THE MOB TURNED ON US,
ABOUT 50 PEOPLE AND STARTED
PUSHING US OUT OF LAFAYETTE
PARK, THERE WAS TWO BLOCKS OF
NO MAN’S LAND.
THERE WAS NO POLICE, NOTHING.
WE WERE ON OUR OWN SAVE FOR A
COUPLE OF NEWS ORGANIZATIONS
THAT WERE ABLE TO CAPTURE THIS.
NEIL: SO NORMALLY NOW, IT USED
TO BE THAT PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE
IN FRONT OF THE NORTHERN
ENTRANCE OF THE WHITE HOUSE
USED TO BE A THOROUGHFARE AND
CARS COULD TRAVEL, AFTER 9/11
THAT QUICKLY ENDED.
AND YOU’RE NORMALLY NOT, I
BELIEVE, LELAND, SUPPOSED TO
PROTEST ON THE WHITE HOUSE SIDE
OF THAT, THAT YOU HAVE TO STAY
AWAY FROM THE FENCE ACROSS THE
STREET AT LAFAYETTE SQUARE, AT
LAFAYETTE PARK.
THIS CROWD IT LOOKS LIKE FROM
SOME OF THE EXPLANATION YOU’RE
GIVING AND WE’RE NOW SHOWING,
THEY GOT TO THAT FENCE.
THAT HAD TO GET PRETTY HAIRY.
LELAND: EXACTLY, IT WAS PRETTY
HAIRY.
IT WAS SOMETHING I NEVER
THOUGHT I WOULD SEE AT THE
WHITE HOUSE.
AND AS YOU NOTED, NEIL, THE
WHITE HOUSE IS JUST TO THE
RIGHT, SCREEN RIGHT OF WHAT YOU
SEE IN OUR CAMERA AND CHRISTIAN
DID AN INCREDIBLE JOB AND WILL
PAN OVER IN THE VIDEO FROM LAST
NIGHT AND YOU’LL SEE THE WHITE
HOUSE.
IT’S ONLY 100 YARDS FROM WHERE
WE WERE TO THE FRONT DOOR OF
THE WHITE HOUSE AND OBVIOUSLY,
A LOT OF FENCES BETWEEN THERE,
BUT THE SECRET SERVICE WILL
ALLOW ANYBODY TO COME INTO
LAFAYETTE PARK, PROTEST, SHOUT,
DO WHATEVER YOU WANT, BUT THE
LINE IS FROM THE BRICK TO THE
PAVEMENT ON TO WHAT WAS
PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE THAT PEOPLE
DROVE UP AND DOWN AS YOU POINT
OUT.
AND THE SECRET SERVICE WAS VERY
CLEAR, YOU’RE NOT COMING OVER
THIS LINE, BUT THE SECRET
SERVICE LAST NIGHT TOOK A LOT
OF ABUSE.
THERE WERE FIRECRACKERS THROWN
AT THEM AND THAT’S THE WHITE
HOUSE VIEW.
YOU CAN SEE JUST HOW CLOSE WE
WERE.
THERE WERE FIRECRACKERS THROWN
AT THE SECRET SERVICE, THERE
WERE A NUMBER OF OFFICERS HURT,
SECRET SERVICE OFFICERS HURT
AND TONS OF WATER BOTTLES
THROWN.
AND THEY WERE STANDING THERE
WITH THE RIOT SHIELDS TAKING
THE ABUSE, AT ONE POINT PEPPER
SPRAY, THE PROTESTERS WERE
LOOKING TO PICK A FIGHT.
THAT’S THE FEELING I GOT.
THEY WEREN’T INTERESTED IN
BEING HEARD OR HAVING A UNIFIED
MESSAGE.
THEY WERE INTERESTED IN
VIOLENCE AND PUSHING THE SECRET
SERVICE TOWARDS ARREST AND
STARTING TO GRAB PEOPLE, ET
CETERA.
SO MY HATS OFF TO THE SECRET
SERVICE WHO SHOWED INCREDIBLE
RESTRAINT IN THE FACE OF REAL
PROVOCATION BY THESE PROTESTERS
WHO, WHEN WE--
EVEN WHEN WE TRIED TO INTERVIEW
A NUMBER OF THEM AND TALK TO
THEM AND GET EXPLANATION OR
COHESIVE MESSAGE, THEY WEREN’T
INTERESTED.
THEY WEREN’T INTERESTED IN
TALKING ABOUT THEIR POSITION,
AND THEY TALKED ABOUT THE
PRESIDENT.
>> AND WE SAID WHAT ABOUT THE
DOJ OR MINNEAPOLIS, THEY DIDN’T
CARE ABOUT ANY OF THAT.
NEIL: VERY WILD.
LELAND, I’M GLAD YOU’RE ALL
RIGHT AND YOUR CREW IS ALL
RIGHT.
LELAND: A LITTLE SORE FROM THE
