Shooting near the Pentagon; New York Governor Scandal
BLITZER: A disturbing development over at the Pentagon -- let's go to our homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve. Jeanne, what are we learning?</s>JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, this is a developing situation. We do not have all the details, but apparently there has been a shooting outside the Pentagon Metro Station. That's across the river in Virginia. We're told by Christopher Lament (ph) of the Pentagon Force Protection Agency -- that's essentially the Pentagon police -- that they believe they have two officers who have been shot. They believe they have one person in custody. We don't know yet the circumstances of this. This information is still very early. We're still waiting to learn more, but once again, the reports are two Pentagon police officers shot outside the Pentagon Metro Station over in Virginia, one person currently in custody, this according to the Pentagon Force Protection Agency. Wolf, we'll bring you more when we have it.</s>BLITZER: Thanks very much, Jeanne. You'll update us. I know you will. Thank you -- disturbing development over at the Pentagon right now. In about an hour or so, black Democrats are set to meet in Harlem for what they are describing as an emergency meeting involving the governor, David Paterson. This after Paterson lost a key ally today, his spokesman. Mary Snow is covering this for us. Mary, what do we expect to emerge from this meeting in Harlem?</s>MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Wolf, the big question hanging over everyone is will the leaders meeting tonight collectively come together to ask Governor Paterson to resign. Elected officials from New York State are expected to be there along with African- American leaders in New York. Earlier today I spoke with Democratic Congressman Gregory Meeks (ph) of New York. He said that he and Al Sharpton called this what they're categorizing as an emergency meeting. He said there is a growing concern about whether the state can continue to function and leaders want to hear from state lawmakers, this, of course, against the backdrop of a scandal surrounding Governor Paterson. I asked Congressman Meeks (ph) if he would call on the governor to resign. He said he wanted to reserve his decision until this meeting is held tonight. He stressed it's important for everyone to move what he called past personal and emotional ties and do what's best for the state. Now many of the people who are expected to gather tonight also met last weekend, and there are some Democrats who feel nothing should be done until this investigation over. Some believe he should not step down at all, and there are other Democrats behind the scenes who feel that Governor Paterson should step down -- Wolf.</s>BLITZER: And there was another big development today, the resignation of a key Paterson staffer.</s>SNOW: Yes, and this was seen as a big blow. This was Governor Paterson's Director of Communications. His name is Peter Kauffmann and the statement he provided is particularly telling. Kauffmann mentions that he is a former Navy officer, and he said that integrity and commitment to public service are values he takes seriously. He goes on to say, as recent developments have come to light, I cannot in good conscience continue in my current position. Now, Wolf, he is the third administration official to leave in the past week since these allegations broke, the allegations being that whether or not Governor Paterson intervened in a case involving a domestic violence case involving one of his former aides. The question is, was there a cover-up?</s>BLITZER: And it comes after another allegation, Mary, as you know that the governor lied under oath.</s>SNOW: Yes, that one came out yesterday, and New York State's Commission on Public Integrity found that the governor lied when he was asked about free tickets to the World Series back in October. Now, the governor disputes the findings. But Democratic leaders are growing increasingly worried because these problems keep growing, and, of course, this larger investigation into whether he intervened in this domestic case, domestic abuse case involving one of his aides. Some say that this is an attempt to cover it up, but Paterson has denied it. He won't give out any details. He says he can't talk because there is an ongoing investigation by the attorney general, but some Democratic leaders in the state have been urging him to get his story out and get it out quickly. The fact that he's not is leaving a lot of uncertainty about his future.</s>BLITZER: Mary Snow is working the story for us. Let's get some analysis from our CNN contributors Donna Brazile and Roland Martin. What's going to happen, Donna? What do you think the governor, David Paterson, is going to do because the pressure is clearly mounting on him?</s>DONNA BRAZILE, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, first of all, Wolf, tonight, many of Governor Paterson's most strongest (ph) supporters will be gathering there. I talked to former mayor David Jenkins today who remains very supportive of the governor. He had lunch with him earlier today at the Yale Club, along with a 13-year-old blind young man who wanted to meet the governor. He said the governor was in good spirits, and Mr. Jenkins believed that Governor Paterson should remain in office until the investigation is done. He doesn't see any need for the governor to step down before Attorney General Cuomo completes his investigation.</s>BLITZER: Because Al Sharpton and some of his friends, they're meeting in Harlem, as you know, Roland, right now. Do you think they're going to urge the governor actually to step down?</s>ROLAND MARTIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: No. I don't know. I mean look, understand, these are people are obviously are supporters of him. Also when I interviewed Governor Paterson for my Sunday show he made it clear that under his administration African-Americans have gotten four times more business in terms from state investment as a result of his performance as well. And so you have folks who understand what his impact is as governor. I mean, obviously, you know, for the nation -- and this is really a New York issue as opposed to a national issue. But the fact of the matter is you really don't know. There are people who are supportive. Likely with some will say, look, you have to go, but others will say, as Donna said, wait until the investigation is over. I never understood, frankly, whether you're white, black, Hispanic, Asian, or whatever, why you would tell somebody get out of office until the investigation is done. I never understand that. That's why you actually have those things.</s>BLITZER: It's a different situation with Charlie Rangel, though, in Washington. There was an investigation. He was given an admonition by the House Ethics Committee so he stepped down at least temporarily as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee.</s>BRAZILE: It was clear that Chairman Rangel felt that by staying as chair, that it was a distractions, that he wanted the House Democrats to move forward on this jobs bill that they're doing, health care. And the chairman, I thought, it was appropriate to step aside to allow another person -- in the case of Sandy Levin -- to take over the important work of that committee.</s>MARTIN: I'm still trying to figure out, though, how can literally seven people go on a trip but six people are cleared, but one person says well, you should have known but the other six should not have known. I mean I'm still trying to figure one that out. Maybe that's the D.C. congressional thing, but I don't understand how literally seven people can go on one trip, but only one should have known, the other six were clear. That makes no sense to me.</s>BLITZER: I spoke to Marc Morial of the National Urban League yesterday and I asked him if he felt that some bloggers out there are suggesting now that blacks are being treated -- black leaders are being treated to a double standard. This is what he said to me.</s>BLITZER: Do you think that's still the case right?</s>MARC MORIAL, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE: I think that's still the case that African-American elected officials are going to experience a greater degree of scrutiny in many cases.</s>BLITZER: Do you agree with him, Roland?</s>MARTIN: First of all, you've seen individuals on local level in certain parts of the country who believe that they have been targeted by certain U.S. attorneys. But the reality is this here. I would say to any political official that if someone busts you for bribery or for corruption, if you don't do it, if you're not involved, then you have no issues. So what I'm suggesting to anybody is don't get involved in any kind of controversial or messy stuff where they can throw your behind in prison. But again there are people out there who -- again who do believe, based upon many examples where they have been targeted for unnecessary reasons. So it's really based upon, frankly, to the individual and also the part of the country.</s>BLITZER: Donna?</s>BRAZILE: Well, if you look across the country, there are scandals going on all over America today. Even in the state of George where there's just pretty much the Republican Party in turmoil. But you know, what so few black elected officials in this country, when one African-American makes a mistake, clearly sometimes you think that it's being blown out of, you know, proportion.</s>BLITZER: Donna Brazile and Roland Martin, guys, thanks very much. All right, let's go back to the Pentagon right now. There is a developing story over there. A shooting. Chris Lawrence is standing by. Chris, tell us what's going on.</s>CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Wolf, we've been pretty much locked here in the Pentagon for the past hour ever since this shooting happened. What the Pentagon police are now saying is that two of their officers -- the Pentagon police officers -- have been shot outside of the Metro entrance to the Pentagon. They also have the shooter in custody now, and the situation seems to be calming down somewhat. There was a loudspeaker announcement just about 20 minutes, a half hour ago that told everybody basically that, you know, you can't leave, you can't come in right now, the Pentagon is locked down while they secure that area. Just to give you an idea of what we're talking about, because you hear Pentagon, you hear Metro entrance, there is a Metro stop here at the Pentagon that's used by thousands of people every day. Tons of buses come in out of there. It's obviously a stop on the local Washington, D.C. train line as well. You don't have to be an employee at the Pentagon or a military person to use the Pentagon Metro area. You know, it's -- tons of people use it every day. But wait as you come out of the Metro entrance, so you come up the escalator, you come out of the train, there are Pentagon police outside, and they're checking our I.D. badges. So what they'll do is you'll walk up there and you'll have to, you know, show your I.D. badge, and that way you can go about the extra 10 yards or so to actually walk into the building. So it's believed that these were guards who were outside the Pentagon because once you show your badge, which you have to do to get access to even open the door of the Pentagon -- once you go through there, there are obviously more guards. There's also a vantage point, a secure vantage point for a sniper position. It is the most probably well-fortified area and entrance of the entire Pentagon.</s>BLITZER: I remember many years ago when I was a Pentagon correspondent, Chris, it was not all that unusual to get a lockdown when there was some shooting incident in the nearby area. How unique in your experience is what's happening right now?</s>LAWRENCE: Well, I think if you said that it was just a shooting at the Metro, you know, that could have happened at any Metro stop at any place in D.C., Maryland or Virginia. But the fact that it involved Pentagon police officers, I think that's what makes this incident a little more unusual than others -- Wolf.</s>BLITZER: Were you anywhere near this incident, Chris?</s>LAWRENCE: Not really. It's hard to describe, but the Metro entrance is one way to get out of the Pentagon. There are other ways to get out as well. It's probably about three corridors down. But the Pentagon is a huge place. We're not that far but we're not that close, either. I don't know if that makes any sense. But basically, it's where -- it's probably the busiest entrance. That's the easiest way to describe it. It's where most people enter and leave the Pentagon. But, again, it's only one way -- it's only one of the ways in and out, and again, it's where most of the Pentagon police officers are compared to some of the other entrances and exits where you might only have, you know, one or two officers posted at that post.</s>BLITZER: I take it, Chris, you didn't hear any gunshots?</s>LAWRENCE: No. No. I mean the way the Pentagon is set up, I mean, it'd be almost impossible to hear anything that happened outside of this building. I mean even if it was, you know, minutes and minutes of rapid gunfire. If you're inside the building, you're not going to hear anything like that.</s>BLITZER: Stand by for a moment. Jeanne Meserve is also watching -- monitoring this story for us. So what else are you picking up, Jeanne?</s>MESERVE: Wolf, I think that Chris has really reported the bare bones of this. What we're hearing from this Pentagon Force Protection Agency is that what they believe they have is two Pentagon officers shot. And they believe they have one person in custody. We really have gotten no detail yet. I think they're still assessing the situation there. There had been reports from some of the local television stations here in Washington, including our affiliate WUSA, that three people were being transported to a local hospital, but we don't have independent confirmation of that at this point in time. So really, it's still very much something under development. But you know, Wolf, that the Pentagon is a critical piece of infrastructure here in the Washington area. One of those buildings that is very, very highly protected, always has been, but after 9/11, that ramped up even further. This is a civilian agency, this Pentagon Force Protection Agency, that helps provide security at that building. Obviously, they're having a difficult night tonight. Wolf?</s>BLITZER: We're hearing, by the way, Jeanne, from George Washington University Hospital here in Washington, D.C., that they are now treating three individuals. We believe two of them are the individuals who were shot and one is the suspect in this case. That information just coming into THE SITUATION ROOM. As you know, George Washington University Hospital just across the river from the Pentagon. You take the Memorial Bridge, you get right over to GW, so that's probably the nearest hospital. Chris Lawrence, what else are you picking up?</s>LAWRENCE: Yes, Wolf, here at the Pentagon, we're just listening to -- we're just listening to another announcement come over the loudspeaker basically saying that the Metro entrance remains closed but the other entrances to the Pentagon have now been reopened. So people can leave the Pentagon. They can get back in if for some reason they needed to get back in. And I think Jeanne made a great point, that we want to emphasize again. You know these Pentagon police officers are not uniformed military personnel. They are not military police or MPs, so to speak. They are a privatized security force that is used to -- to secure the area in around the Pentagon.</s>BLITZER: All right. We're going to continue to monitor what's happening in the Pentagon. We'll check back with Chris Lawrence, with Jeanne Meserve. We'll watch that situation. We'll continue our coverage of that and all the other news right after this.