State in the u. S. Capitol. We havent seen anything like this since 1998. Officer sicknick, his family had him cremated. His remains are on the table next to a flag commemorating his service. His family is there. Its a good thing, chris, we havent seen anything like this since and we shouldnt be watching it now. As i was listening to you on the way here, hearing an officer die in the line of duty because of an insurrection on capitol hill was just mind boggling to even fathom. Members of the Law Enforcement community were supposed to start their visitation, and thats what theyre doing now, 10 00 p. M. I imagine the president of the United States will be along soon. He arrived we watched the motorcade bringing him in from the white house. Hes not in yet. He hasnt visited. No, he has not visited but we saw the motorcade. I have been receiving word from Law Enforcement, Law Enforcement with Capitol Police and surrounding police departments, and they are actually happy that we are carrying this. It is an honor to them we pay tribute to the fallen officer. Some of those officers were fighting for their lives on january 6th, and were in dange of losing their lives if they had not exhibited such a heroic effort. And they did save lives inside that capitol as well. Members of the senate, members of congress, and i think you pointed this out earlier, chris this is the Scene Of The Crime where he is laying in honor right now. The Scene Of The Crime where there will be voting on impeachment for the president. Its surreal. To think that we are actually watching this happen in our country. At this moment, as we president s arrival. Yep, and as soon as he comes up, obviously, well pay strict attention to it. We always say, don, were living in historic times, and heres another never before not since 1812 has anyone dared try to come into the capitol, but never before have i seen something where the same Men And Women who were being protected by this man who gave his life, voted to advance a lie that instigated the entire insurrection immediately there after. We just had the congressional leadership come up and pay homage. I hope they remember what theyre holding so dear and solemn when they go back to their caucus, because we are not living the truth of january 6th. Well talk about that but i want to focus on Brian Sicknick and his family. His famry released a statement thanking congressional leadership for bestowing this on ignore on the fallen american hero. And he is a hero and that is an honor. He is deserving of it. We have to remember the other officers as well. There was one officer who suffered a heart attack and brain injuries. He was fighting for his life and he heard people say, take his gun. He believed at that moment that they were going to kill him unless he started to bargain with them and say he had a family, hoping that would stop them from doing the worst. Apparently in that moment it did work, and he said about those people that saved them, thank you, but im wishing you had not within here in the first place. But i think its tonight, yes, the senate and the congress should be doing their jobs and thinking about what theyre going to do and what they should be doing, but this is an honor to the people you see there, the Men And Women in uniform all over this country, but especially those who are in the washington, d. C. Area. Who fought so valiantly on that day to protect not only the capitol but protect the people who are inside and who continue to do it every single day. Again, the president of the United States joe biden, his motorcade arrived about 9 56 at the capitol and were awaiting him to enter the rotunda and pay his respects to officer Brian Sicknick. If its what i understand, we should note the move by the president. He wants the officers to go first. And be with one of their own and give them that position of priority, because they were there first protecting. And any one of these Men And Women who were there that day could be receiving the salutes instead of giving them, and that is a very poignant reminder sophom. So its good they get to go first. You have to honor the officer but you also have to learn why he died by covering it. Ive covered Men And Women and watched them give their lives to this country at service home and abroad. They want to make sure a lesson is learn in the honoring their own. As we listen to, this keep your eye on the door to the left a your screen at the top right under the capitol hill and the time stamp here, and thats where the president will be entering. Again, members of Law Enforcement are now entering and paying their respects. And, you know, we dont have control of this camera. This is a camera to get closeups of who is there. I want to you think about, as we wait for the arrival of the president , watching at this particular place, right, that went through an insurrection, we went through impeachment, right . Theyre walking the article of impeachment over. We have had an inauguration. And now we have a fallen officer laying in honor at the capitol. These are, as you say, as we always say, these are the times that people write about for the history books, and we are living in that time right now. Its an interesting ceremony. They encircumsle the officer an then they come up in a line and salute, and that is a powerful embrace of one of their own, surrounding them in their sense of honor and duty. Theyre coming in detachment of detachment of different aspects of Capitol Police and Law Enforcement. The president is on premises. Were waiting for him to come and be our collective conscious in this solemn moment. Lying in state is this isnt lying in state, this is lying in honor, but an honor like this is typically reserved for leaders of american government. But two u. S. Capitol Police Officers were shot to death in 1998 and, they were the first to lie in honor at the capitol. It is a rare occurrence. I think everyone will agree with me, lets hope it never happens again, that we lose officers in the line of duty in any way, but especially in an insurrection of people trying to overthrow the democracy we so honor, live, and believe in. An attack on our democracy is the worst of the worst. It is an attack on our freedom and our liberty and our persons. It is a personal attack on everything that we believe in, and this officer, this hero died trying to protect that. And i shouldnt say trying to they did protect them. Because as we know, even after this insurrection happened, you and i witnessed, live on television, we were together, members of the senate and Congress Going back into the halls where they were hiding just hours before had feared for their lives, and they went and they completed their constitutional duty of certifying the electoral votes, certifying the election that happened on november 7, 2020, even though hours before they were in danger of their lives inside these very halls. It was very honorable they went back. Even at a time when i dont know how you could be completely certain there was no remaining danger. What had been left behind, all the god forbids it takes time to check and double cheque but it must also be remembered and what january 6th was about is that after we saw an angry mob that represented the worst of us try to break in and stop the democratic proceedings, you had 140 or so members of one party stand up to echo the lie that had brought the insurrection in the first place. Right on. Cnns dana bash joins us now from washington. Dana . Congressional correspondent for a number of years. You covered this. This is your beat. Watching this all unfold. Youre there in washington. I want the hear your thoughts on whats happening now and the emotion that has that has the emotion that people are feeling in washington, d. C. Right now especially as it relates to these events. Heavy. Very heavy. You know, the people who walk the Capitol Campus every day, and i was one of them for a couple of decades, you get to know these officer, separately by face if not by name, and you come to rely on them as a protector and a friendly face. And, you know, Officer Sicknick is somebody who was one of those. And everything changed for all of these officers, for everybody in that building in that day. And now because he gave the ultimate sacrifice in trying to protect the people in that building never mind the edifice, he is now lying in honor, and hes only the fifth person in American History to do so. Hes in the company of rosa parks and he is in the company of reverend billy graham. And as you mentioned earlier, don, two officers who similarly gave their lives to protection the capital back in 1998, officer Jacob Chestnut and detective john gibson. And so this is an important moment in history, and it is a solemn moment, and a reminder of just how rare it is to be seeing what were seeing. Dana, you covered the not only the people, but the events inside of this building, as i said, you covered them so well for quite some time. Lets think about it this way he is returning to the very building that he protected for over a decade, where we received those life threatening injuries protecting the legislatiive branch, right . I should say fatal injuries. For the last time hes returning to the place he served. Thats powerful to think about. Absolutely. Its incredibly powerful to think about, and its powerful to watch. You could feel it. And as we discussed what were seeing, you can the solemnity in there it is really palpable. I have been in that rotunda when we have had people who were elected officials lying in state in a formal way, and you can feel it. But even more so for somebody who was not a Household Name was not a president of the United States or a United States senator. But somebody who was literally in the line of duty. And gave his life in order to protect, and not just to protect from so many of the threats that we think about when we walk those halls, and i certainly did after 9 11, for example, from international forces, but from within. From people inside the United States, american citizens. Storming the capitol while members of congress were doing their constitutional duty in order to certify the electoral college, and these people were doing so In The Name Of the president of the United States, forging ahead based on lies he continued to tell and those who are he is supporters did as well. And that is what makes this even more Heart Wrenching that that is the reason why were watching this solemn moment. You know, chris had been conversing with our colleague josh campbell, whos a former fbi agent. He said to me, theres no job in washington like a Capitol Police officer. The job is to protect the major target, filled with giant egos, as we know. Yet its also supposed to be peoples house, welcoming in normal time people to see their representatives. I think the people want to peoples house to get back to that. Because we have gone so far astray, especially since january 6th. This is a reminder of whats at stake that were watching on our screens right now, chris. We are. And were seeing the best of us right now. The Men And Women who took an oath to defend us, to protect, to serve, and they did just that at a time this country needed it most. And i dont think it can be overstated, and i think that this is the right thing to be done for Officer Sicknick and the right thing to be done for this country at the right time. You could argue it took too long. Almost a month later. For us to start recognizing the gravity of this moment as a day that should and must live in infamy. Yet weve never seen anything like it before. You said, don, hopefully well never see anything like it again. That is only had inheritance of people who didnt learn from a mistake, and i have no security many that moment right now. Thing hs have not gotten better since january 6th. If we could just get back to the peoples business and how much progress can be made, how much productivity can be made instead of just how much anger and fomenting of different interests, you have to believe that well get the a better police, and thats what makes someone like an Adam Kinzinger such an intriguing figure right now, a senator like joe manchin an intriguing figure right now. People going against the inclinations of their own for what they think is right. Chris mentioned this earlier, dana, and i want to know your thoughts, because you covered this joe biden as four children from two marriages. His first born daughter naomi die in the 1972. It was a car accident. With her mother. And then, you know, his son beau biden died in 2015. Talk about someone who knows empathy, who knows grief. That is this president and its in exact contrast of the last presid president. But joe biden knows grief, knows empathy. I think chris called him the consoler. Hopefully he can be the consoler in chief in the coming hours in the coming days. Absolutely. And he will be. We saw him do that in his role as the democratic candidate throughout the summer when he during the riots, when he had moments he could be that person. We saw him at cnn town halls. Theres the president , dana, and the first lady arriving. I think we should just listen and let them pay their respects. President joe biden and the First Lady Jill Biden paying their respects to officer Brian Sicknick who lost his life in the line of duty on january 6th protecting the capital and the lives inside of that capitol. Dana bash here with me. Chris cuomo with me as well. Chris, dana was talking about the empathy of joe biden before the president came in to the capital them president also a very religious man. Walking up to the table, putting his right hand on the table, and then over his heart. And then going over to look at some of the flowers and really shaking his head. And a collective sigh, im sure, across the country. And grief. A moment that made me tear up. I cannot believe where we are, but hopefully well get beyond it to a better place. Speaking to the president about his faith, he keeps it very simple. Obviously hes a chris man and a catholic, but his faith in these matters comes down to two words love mercy. And it is a very ample instruction. No matter what you believe right now, we are honoring Officer Sicknick because of his dedication to something bigger than himself. And it is the highest ideal in our society and democracy, and theres so much pain in the capitol right now. Theres so much pain in his family. Theres so much pain in his Brothers And Sisters who did the job, who there but before the grace go they. And the shame of it is if we dont learn the lesson and dont honor the sacrifice by getting to a better place and we have not done that since january 6th. And so for those who want to honor the officer, good, you should. But for those in power who say they want to do the same, we hodge know what they show in their intentions and actions there after. Chris, thank you for helping us through this. I thug it was important that you had because you had been doing such a fantastic job of coffering this before, ands i told you i was getting thank yous from members of Law Enforcement we were covering this on cnn and you happened to be on the air guiding us through this. I know you got to go. Youre going the leave me in the hands of dana bash. Thanks so much, chris. I love you. I love you. And sharing history with you and dana. Dana bash, 36 years joe biden has been walking these halls with Capitol Police. Thats what i was thinking about, because i met thensenator biden when he was in those hallowed halls day after day. And he was for three and a half decades during some of his toughest times, during some of his best times, he had officers like these, like Officer Sicknick, there to protect him just like those officers were protecting the other 99 senators he served with. And so you were talking about empathy and about the fact that he because hes had so much pain in his own life, and for other reasons, hes just inherently so empathetic. But this is another level and another layer of that because these Capitol Police officers were a part of his life for so many years as a United States senator. Yeah. Dana, again, i want to remind our viewers, were watching laying in honor here now, officer brian d. Sicknick who was a member of the Capitol Police who lost his life in the line of duty. We saw the president and first lady pay their respects just moments ago, and now you have members of the Law Enforcement community doing the same thing. They were doing it before the president and first lady arrived and theyre doing it now as well. I want to get dana stand by. I want to get to cnns kaitlan collins. She joins us now by phone. Kaitlan is our chief white house correspondent. Kaitlan, this was very important for the president of the United States to be here and to do this. We know his respect for Law Enforcement. We know how he has dealt with grief after the loss of two children. Thats right, and, you know, funnily enough, tomorrows what would have been his son beau b bidens birthday. I heard can you were having earlier about the grief the president knows