an historic day in washington. the former president and current g portion front runner will be arraigned for eallegedly orchestrating a a plot to overturn the free and fair election that he lost. we're keeping watch as donald trump gets ready to leave new jersey, board his private jet and make his way to a federal courthouse just steps away from where democracy was under siege during the january 6th insurrection. hundreds of protrump rioters already face justice inside that very same courthouse. and that's where we begin this hour with paula reid and evan perez. what can we expect to unfold in that courthouse out of the public's view? >> once the former president gets into washington, he will be brought into the federal courthouse. we're probably not going to see much of him before he finally gets into the courthouse. he will be processed by the u.s. marshals as they do with everyone who is arraigned. he will be under arrest. and then he will be brought in at 4:00. the we expect the judge is going to read him the four charges that the formerer president faces. and we expect also that he will be given a chance to enter a plea. this is also likely to be an arraignment. so we anticipate that the former president is going to plead not guilty. then the hearing will probably be over very, very quickly. this is something that the courthouse has been doing a lot. several hundred rioters from the january 6th riot have faced prosecution in this courthouse. today it's business as usual for the courthouse. we know there was a sentencing earlier today for january 6th rioter, a member of the proud boys. and the judge who was overseeing that brought up the former president's appearance later this afternoon. it's not going to affect how he sentences that prisoner. we expect there's a numb of sentences taking place today. this courthouse is very secure. it's very used to a lot of major events like this, including terrorism trials. so we expect that this should go very smoothly. >> so interesting that there are people inside the capitol having their days in court on the same day that the president is coming into that courthouse. really fascinate ing. i want to go over to paula. what the president is going to have to answer is several charges, including that he used, quote, unlawful means to subvert the 2020 election. >> that's right. he faces four felony counts. he's charged with conspiracy to defrd the united states, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstructing an official proceeding and also depratn of rights. and those charges are supported by the story that is laid out in the indictment. s prosecutors allege he lost the election. it's the third sentence in the indictment. and he knew he lost the election, but he continued to perpetuate claims of a stolen election while working with six other people to try to overturn the results of the election. they allege the did this through trying to install slates of fake electors, but pressuring the individual states, leveraging the power of the justice department, and also by pressuring his own vice president. that pressure campaign lasted until january 6th, the day the vice president was to certicertify the election results. they allege these lie he was pushing helped give rise to the violence we saw on january 6th. they also allege the president's associates continue this pressure campaign even after the violence unfolded on january 6th. now we have seen the broad contours that his attorneys tend to lay out. they are arguing that this is criminalizing free speech, he had a belief he won the election. but even his own former attorney general bill barr has thrown cold water on these saying, look, you have a free speech right. you can even lie, but you can't engage in a conspiracy and prosecutors saw these allegations he knew that he believed that he had won the election. they saw that coming, which is why they use so many examples in the indictment on times he conceded that he had lost the election. >> absolutely fascinating. we'll be getting back to you as we see and hear the former president is actually inside that courthouse. in just moments, donald trump will be departing from his golf course in bedminster, new jersey. that's where alayna treen is doing some reporting. talking to the team about what they expect his day to look like. >> reporter: that's right. i'm in bedminster near the former president's golf club. his motorcade will be passing near here to head to newark airport, where he will travel to washington, d.c. for his 4:00 p.m. court appearance. now my colleague kristen holmes and i learned that donald trump will be traveling with his senior campaign advisers, people like steven chung and also some of his attorneys. that includes todd blanche, who we're told is also expected to appear with donald trump in court this afternoon. now they know what is likely to transpire in court. this is the third time in months now that donald trump has gone through this type of court appearance. so they know what they are walking into, but i also want to just talk to you about donald trump's mood heading into today. i spent the last several days now speaking with donald trump's advisers and his aids. they tell me that he is very concerned about this indictment. he recognizes the seriousness of these charges, but he's also quite frustrated about having to go through all of this yet again. >> thank you so much. we appreciate it. we'll be getting back to you as well. back here in d.c., authorities are preparing for what is likely the highest profile appearance. shimon prokupecz is joining us now. you are out there talking to law enforcement sources about that. what can you tell us? >> reporter: right. you want to kind of give our viewers a sense of what's going on outside here at the courthouse. this is constitution avenue. this is where all the media has been gathering. so all down this street, it's just all hundreds and hundreds of media. and one of the things that i think has been remarkable in being out here this morning, we're not seeing the number of trump supporters that we certainly saw at the other two arraign mments that i was at. we could see some supporters. this is where some of them have been gathering. they are not here. and then when you go -- i want to show you this is where the capital is. this is how close we are to the capitol. the importance of that is not lost on anyone here. when we go across the street, this is the street where we believe the former president will be arriving, where he will drive to enter into the courthouse. there's a back entrance, a garage here. this is where most of the security is focused. because this is where they believe, this is where we believe the motorcade will be arriving. so when you look up the street, there are snowplows here. they set up snowplows for extra security. and if you look here in the distance, you'll see that's the back of the courthouse. that's where we believe the former president will go. he will arrive in there and begin the process of being arraigned. he will be arrested and brought to the courtroom. >> interesting to show us all of the preparations, but specifically, to show our viewers how close you are. just how close the courthouse is to the united states capitol. erg that is going to go on today really did happen right there. the location is very telling. appreciate that. donald trump's attorney general bill barr says the former president knew he lost the election. why that is key to this special counsel's case against trump. stay with us. he does. -we're havaving triplets. -no, what does that mean? it meaeans you're gonna need more tide. -see? -ah. more likes? more tide. everyone's. gonna. need. more.. tide!!! -you're gonna need- -more tide. this back-to-school season tide and downy are giving back with 1.5 million dollars in scholarships. enter to win. kayaking is my thing. running is awesome. but her moderate to severe 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really important point in the prosecution's case against him. >> at first, i wasn't sure. but i have come to believe that he knew well he had lost the election. the government has assumed the burden of proving it. the government in their indictment takes the position that he had actual knowledge that he had lost the election and the election wasn't stolen through fraud. and they have to prove that beyond a reasonable doubt. >> i just the trast between what the former president is still saying about the election being stolen and how he's trying to make himself into a livie marty and what you hear from the job as the top person at the doj who looked into this. andconcluded they were not accurate. >> this is part of the recipe he knows well. he's baked this cake at least three times. the theme of being the person who is in between justice or the department of justice and the rest of the world looking at the proxy argument he's talking about, why this is so significant to hear from the former attorney general, who was the highest prosecutor in the land for quite some time, it's this notion of even he believed that donald trump was aware that he lost the election. why is that important? it tries to pour cold water on the idea he's using political speech and he can say whatever he wants. they are alleging as part of a scheme that based on his knowledge, he knew what he was saying would be part of a conspiracy to overturn and overthrow the election results. that's significant to come from attorney barr. that's one of the things that was cited as a collection of people about what knowledge trump had. just for us, you don't have to essentially hook up to a lie detector test. the jurors rbt saying can you please give me indication that you know specifically his mind and his brain tuft right now. there's a lot of con tect yule clues or evidence to prove your case. >> it's intent. and on that note, another thing that bill barr said and kaitlan collins really excellent interview with him last night, he poked holes in one of the primary ideas that trump's defense attorneys are trying to put out there. that this is just the first amendment. >> he can say whatever he wants. he can even lie. he can tell people that the election was stolen when he knew better. but that does not protect you from entering into a conspiracy. all conspiracies involve speech. all fraud involves speech. so free speech didn't give you the right to engage in a fraudulent conspiracy. >> such an important point here. >> hugely important point. he's right. there's nothing to that defense. it sounds great on television. it may sound great to his base. it will not work in court. however, it's so significant that this is coming from bill barr. let's remember who bill barr is. bill barr is the guy who campaigned for the job of attorney general basically by laying out a 17-page memo that he would serve as the president's personal defender, which he did. he lied to the american public about the results of the mueller report. he subverted the justice department in an effort to get the president's krcronies out o trouble. he dismissed the case against mike flynn, undermine d the sentencing for roger stone. this is a guy who during his term as attorney general was firm ly in line with everything the president wanted him to do. but in the aftermath of the election, even bill barr couldn't countenance the lie that the election had been stolen. it's an important voice. >> put in context, that's true. but is that context going to fall on deaf ears with the trump voters that you speak with out and about in the country? >> i think all this has to be digested. there is so many cases and so many jurisdictions that that's why this indictment, and they must be looked at individually. that's why this one is so different and so much more consequential. because many of the witnesses, many of the arguments here inside this indictment are from trump's allies. this is something that's much more consequential than the manhattan doindictment in the spring. this is something that is about larger matters. will trump voters view it differently, we'll see. they view it as it's presented to them. the facts are not in agreement across communication television channels. let's be honest about that. but i get a sense talking to voters interested in just being done with the chaos. this case is different. is everyone going to suddenly join, of course, not. these indictments must be looked at different ly. i this is of the four potential ones, this is certainly more consequential. >> when people say political speech, that term means something legally in how the supreme court will analyze and courts will analyze it. it doesn't mean anything coming out of the mouth of a pol politician. it's intend to be something we do not want to have people silent in their ability to address grievances. we don't want a king that can throw you in jail because you have a problem with something. it means something, but it doesn't mean action relating to conspiracies. >> so to the political equivalent of yelling "fire" in a crowded theater. i didn't go to law school, but i did learn that. the former president, as he's getting ready to come to d.c., is very active on his social media. it's a big day when we have all cap one sentence post. i need one more indictment to ensure my election. there's a lot to unpack in that. but he's stating what he thinks is the obvious, which is the more he's up against it, the more he can rally the american people to feel that he somehow is a mirror of them and all of their grievances. >> in a primary election for sure, but to win the white house, you must win the general election, so that's what worries republicans. the question is will any of the house republicans talk truthful about this? they won't because they are afraid of donald trump. but to win an election, we're talking about the primary first. that's still an open question. we're still in the early days of august. >> everybody, standby. in his strongest words yet, former vice president mike pence slammed his former boss and his crack pot lawyers. like i wouldn't cashback?? cashbacking by the basket, i see you. ugh. i dreamamt you didn't cashback this flight. oh good. if you're buying it, flying it, or wining n' dining it, then you gotta be cashbacking it. come on now. cashback on everything you buy with chase freedom unlimited with no annual fee. how do you cashback? chase. make more of what's yours. when moderate to severe ulcerative colitis takes you off course. put it in check with rinvoq, a once-daily pill. when i wanted to see results fast, rinvoq delivered rapid symptom relief and helped leave baroom urgency behind. check. when uc tried to slow me dow.. i got lasting, steroid-fre remission with rinvoq. check. and when uc caused damage rinvoq came through by visibly repairing my colon lining. check. rapid symptom relief... lasting steroid-free remission... ...and 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about the law, it's also inextricably linked to politics. my panel is here to discuss. leigh ann caldwell of "the washington post" and cnn's jeff zeleny is still with us. linked because he's making it so. by running and by all of the communications we have played in the last segment, husband most recent truth social saying that he's honored to be going to washington to be arraigned on behalf of all of his supporter and it's something that is amounts. in his fundraising is is just one example of this week. if these illegal persecutions exceed, it will not stop me. the grip will close tighter around you. it's not just my freedom on the line. it's yours as well. i will never let them take it y you. to me, that says it all. about how he is when it comes to the republican elect tort making people feel like they have a stake in defending him. >> it's not just how he's messaging. it's how he's spending his money. we found out with these filings that his superpacs are spending a majority amount of the money they have been raising on his legal funds. so not only is this a linked legal process with his campaign, his campaign money is also funding his legal defense funds. >> and i also think that he has so much power here in convincing voter, convincing his base what he's saying, even if they don't contain any mode of truth i was really struck by the new polling that cnn has about the percentage of americans who believe these election lies. now it's up to almost % of republican and republican-leaning independents who believe the election. about it.show that as you talk you're right. almost 7n 10 republicans say they do not think that joe biden legitimately won the election. that's huge. >> it's part of what you mentioned. he has this power to make his own troubles, whether they are legal, political, personal, about his voters and his base. that's why he's had this grip over them, despite the lies about the 2020 election. >> let's look at somethinghat our friend wro on this theme. cae it's really smart. trump may constitute a unique threat to the democratic dugss, but electoral fraud to the anxiety among white, christian conservatives that they ar losing control of the country to a racial ly diverse democratic coalition centered in the nation's largest cities. as trump put it, before a white role audience, this is our country. you see . they are trying to discuss through fraud, deception and deceit. >> the city be a candidate born in new york city. so that's what's always been the irony of this. but there are many people in trump's base, many true trump believers, the one contributing to the superpac in small donations and large, who will never boon him, who believe him. but that 7 in 10 number is fascinating. but that is in large part to where people get their news. if you only get your news from a channel, from a commentators who are misleading, of course, you're going to believe that. we are not operating on the saim set of facts. if watergate were to happen, half the country would believe there's not a break-in because there would be a conspiracy. that's what is different about this. so it's very much unchartered territory in terms of presidential campaign, but as i travel around the could be try and talk to voters who long for a day of ronald reagan conservatism or others, there's a fragment of the party, perhaps 6 in 10, who want someone other than donald trump. we'll see if anyone rises to the occasion here. and that challenges him here. the chris christie argument, the mike pence argument, that is breaking through in a tiny sense, but trump has a lot louder mega phone. >> let's look at what mike pence's statement is after the indictment. because let's talk about it afterwards. >> let's beer clear. it wasn't just that i asked for a pause. the president specifically asked me and his gaggle of crack pot lawyers asked me to literally reject votes, which would have resulted in the issue being turned over to the house of representatives and literally chaos would have ensued. >> he's running against donald trump. he was his vice president. and it's not a consistent message. this is the kind of message we heard when he first announced. but post indictment, that mike pence is maybe the most sort of casual and the statement he is making is coming really straight from the heart. >> mike pence is also mentioned multiple fulltimes in the indictment. what's also interesting, he said that on fox news talking about a news channel that has given an alternate reality. but what's interesting post indictment is if you also look at the cnn polling numbers, how are those numbers going to change when for the past two years, you really had unit anymorety among republicans who were silent or supporting trump's false claims. how is that going to change post indictment when there's a trial? when there's all this stuff constantly in the news and perhaps maybe that will suck into people's opinions about trump. it might change, i don't know. >> i talked to political consultants who say, at least in the republican electorate, as long as he's setting the agenda and dominate ing the news with something like ts, it's hard for others to breakthrough. everybody standby. on january 6th, 2021, congressman jason crow w inside the house chamber trying to help colleagues take cover as the violent mob broke in. he's here is and will join me, next. my most important kitchen tool? my brain. so i choose neuriva plus. unlike some others, neuriva plus is a multitasker supporting 6 key indicors of brain health. to help keep me sharp. neuriva: think bigger. hi, i'm sharon, and i lost 52 pounds on golo. on other diets, i could barely lose 10-15 pounds. thanks to golo, i've lost 27% of my body weight, and it was easy. (soft music) we never just see the numbers, we see the people. my dad started trek in a red barn in waterloo, wisconsin. and now it spans the globe. you wanna take what was given to you and you wanna build it. and you wanna pass it along. if i can do that, i would have done well. that's why we're here... to help make it happen. as we wait for the former president to appear in federal court, our photo journalist caught up with the current presidential in delaware. >> pregnant will you be following the arraignment today? >> no. >> an emphatic no there from president biden, who has been reluctant to weigh in on any of president trump's legal battles to date. joining me to discuss the historic events unfolding today is jason crow, democrat of colorado. thank you so much for joining me. this is personal for you. we have talked abouts before. like so many other members, yo were in the house chamber on january 6th. you fear your life. you used your training in the united states military to help to take cover om others who were there worried about the violent mob. is this where you expected -- i'm sure you weren't thinking anything more than in this moment, but as you were able to digest it, is this today where you expected the trump situation to be? >> no, to give the joe biden answer. i haven't expected to be in any of these positions. i didn't come to congress in 2019 thinking there would be an insur recollection, thinking i would have to defend against a violent mob on the house floor, thinking we would have a president who not just that i disagree with politically, but was a demagogue, really a sociopath capable of violence and inciting violence to maintain power. i haven't anticipated this. >> did you expect he would be facing an indictment and an arraignment? >> i hoped the legal process would bring it where it needed to bring us. not any predetermined outcome, because it's really important we not look at a predetermined outcome, because that's not how our legal process works. we're being tested to see whether our rule of law, whether our democracy can withstand someone like donald trump and his supporters, and to pass that test, we can't be looking at predetermined outcomes. we have to apply the facts to the law and see where that take us. now i believed personally that donald trump incited that mob, that he committed legal violations to do that. that he continues to scoff the law and he should be held accountable. but with regard to the specific process, we have to let it play out. >> the former attorney general bill barr was on last night with kaitlan collins. and he says he has concerns about the timing of the indictment because donald trump is in the middle of a republican primary race to be president again. he's worried about the impact it could have on the upcoming election. do you share that concern? >> i'm worried about the consequence ens of not following the process. think about what he's really trying to say. that politics and campaigns should bear on our legal process and rule of law, who is accountable to the law. that cannot possibly be the case in the united states of america. that's not who we are. who we are is a country that should equally apply the law, regardless of whether you're the president or anybody else for that matter. so in my view, which the reverse is true, that we must follow the process, that justice has to be blind in this situation regardless of who is running. >> do you want it to be finished before election day 2024? >> i want it to be finished when it is finish ed not with regard to any campaign cycle. >> there is a new cnn poll out today that shows a number that's pretty stunning. 58%, so that's nearly 6 in 10 americans do not believe in elections in the united states reflect the will of the people. you are an elected official. how do we fix this? >> we fix it by continuing to tell the truth, by continuing to build coalitions, to address the real needs of the people. i struggled with this actually a lot the last few years. when i was sitting in the house gallery on january 6th, i was sitting there. on the other side of the door was a violent mob trying to beat down that door to get to me and my colleagues. many of the folks in that mob were combat veterans. how do we get to the point where fellow veterans who raised their right hand, took the oath, my brothers and sisters in arms were trying to kill me. this is a broader challenge of our society. this is in part about donald trump, but the whole story isn't about donald trump. we have to have honest conversations and have reconciliation. >> you say tell the truth, but then you have trump who again today is about tgein the car to come here to washington saying, i'm now going to washington to be arrested for challenging a stolen election and it's a great honor. perpetuating that lie, even though, and maybe because he is now facing criminal charges because of alleged conspiracies for that lie. i hear you about the truth. but how do you penetrate the truth when you have somebody this powerful stirring up the lies. and people are believing it. >> the only way you do it is you counter it with the facts and you're consistent and you're focused and you're clear eyed. you keep on repeating that truth and you continue to reinvigorate institutions, democratic institutions and rule of law and legal processes that support the facts in the truth. there's really no other way to do it. i, one, regardless of those facts still believe very strongly in the positive spirit of the american people. the vast majority of the people i see still want government to work for them. they want legitimate people to be in charge of their institutions. and i believe that if you provide that alternative, we will go that way. >> joe biden is that alternative. you feel confident he can beat trump because the polls show them neck and neck. >> absolutely he's that alternative. when it's time to tell that story, elections are contrast elections. it's not in isolation. what are the options? the story of the economy rebounding, the very strong middle class economy that joe biden is building, how he's chipped inflation, how he passed six major pieces of legislation to address climate change, restore american manufacturing, when we start telling that story, people will certainly hear it. >> congressman, thank you. nice to see you in person. a at any moment now, former president trump will leave his b bedminster golf to be arraigned. we'll bring you the movements live. stay with us. ♪ it takes two to make it outta sight ♪ ♪ it takes two to make a thing go right ♪ ♪ it takes two to make it outta sight ♪ ♪ one, two, get loose now ♪ ♪ it takes two to make a... ♪ ♪ it takes two to make a... ♪ ♪ it takes two to make a... ♪ ♪ it takes two to make a... ♪ ♪ it takes two to make a... ♪ ♪ it takes two to make a... ♪ stay two nights and get a $ 50 best western gift card. book now at bestwestern.com. today's the day you graduate from southern new hampshire university. i' been waiting for this day my whole life. the fact that i get to walk across the stage and get my dree, it's honestly unreal. don't ever stop. keep on believing in yourself. it is never too late. if you're out there to wonder if you could be an snhu graduate today is the day to find out. visit snhu.edu. 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[laughs] nailed it again! keep up the good work! for great checkups, crest has you covered because crest pro-health protects 100% of your mouth for 24 hours. look, ma! no cavities! crest. any moment now, donald trump will depart his home in new jersey and head to washington for his latest arraignment. alayna, any sign of the former president as he prepares to lead? >> reporter: not yesterday, dana. he will be passing by here shortly. i spoke to a trump adviser who said they have not yet left, but already there's a lot of people here, helicopters are circling the area. and then i also wanted to add, there is a chance we may hear directly from the former president today. i'm told that immediately after his 4:00 p.m. court appear dwrans, he's going to head back to the airport. he may speak with reporters before getting back on his plane and heading back to new jersey where he'll stay the night. >> alayna, thank you. it will be a short flight to regan national airport. kristin holmes is nearby. you will be traveling in the motorcade from the airport to the courthouse. >> reporter: we expect him to land just behind me aregan airport. he's traveling with his lawyers as well as some of his closest political advisers. they will land here and will be met by a small press pool that i will be a part of, will take the motorcade down to the courthouse. i'm told be a number of aides who sea they done believe will be a short time. as we're told he's only going to be accompanied by his lawyers, but that might change. he wants to leave almost immediately after he does that appearance. they will be coming immediately back here to the airport in that motorcade. we do anticipate the possibility of some remarks. it all depends on how the arraignment goes. as it's always with the former president, it's up to him whether he wants to take to the press. he wants to create his own narrative. this is something the campaign feels strongly about. that's why he goes to the off-the-record stops at different locations, because that's where they're getting their pictures from for that day. so, if i were a betting woman, i would bet we'll hear from the former president today. we'll just have to wait and see. >> i think you can be a betting woman today. thank you for that, kristen. many have been convicted for their actions in and around january 6th. we're going to talk more about that, and about this arraignment in this case in general with our panel here. i want to play another part of kaitlan collins' interview with bill barr last night, he trying to poke a hole in one of the major republican talking points about the doj being weaponized against republicans. >> as a legal matter, i don't see a problem with the indictment. i think that it's not an abuse. the department of justice is not acting to weaponize the department by proceeding against the president for a conspiracy to subvert the electoral process. >> i'm guessing you don't expect all the republicans to be rewriting their talking points and their statements. >> i just feel like if we had had this conversation, you know, seven, ten years ago and if you were telling me the republican party would be the party demonizing the doj, fbi, law enforcement officials, it would be shocking, i think, to a lot of us. i think it's the power that donald trump has had over republican party officials and republican party voters to make them convince and act on what he wants them to act. so we're going to see, you know s. more actions from the congressional front in terms of continuing to really try to demonize the fbi and doj, and then conversely, in some way, people feel will bolster -- or launches the impeachment inquiry. >> what are your thoughts on hearing the former attorney general saying this is not evidence of the doj being weaponized against republicans. >> again, he's in a tough spot. he has been the attorney general twice, and as much as he may want to embrace the current republican talking points, he can't, because he knows better. he knows the men and women, the professionals, the career prosecutors, analysts, folks who work in that building, and their colleagues. he knows how cases are brought. they're brought based on evidence and information. he knows the thresholds we must reach before we even open a case, and he can read the indictment. that indictment speaks for itself. it's based on tangible, verifiable fact. the charges are reasonable and appropriate, and he knows that as a professional. he's got to come out and acknowledge the legal legitimacy of what's happening, and that intrinsically undermines the republican political charges. >> even in his professional capacity, he's lived through having these moments where he's in the room where it happens. he's had to go toe to toe with the president to talk about the campaign to try to undermine or get information from secretaries of state and beyond. he's well aware, his own personal history, what it's like to convince, persuade or even believe that is not credible. but also it's an interesting talking point. i've been a prosecutor. i would be the first to tell you, yes, when it comes to the jurisdiction system, there's at divide between the haves and have have-nots. 9 conflation of this notion of two-tiered justice system is only applicable if your person is the one who is now going to be held to account is just not a fair or accurate assessment of it. i think it's disingeni. ous. >> i want to go back to something the former president put on his social media platform in the last hour, just one sentence -- i need one more indictment to ensure my election. >> it does say it all. he's right about one thing. this is politicized, because he's politicizing it. for all we do not know of what will transpire over the next year to 15 months, one thing we do know is there's a greater likely hid of impeachment proceedings against president biden, we know the next year-plus will be a very tumultuous time politically in this country. democracy is very strong and resilient, but it's going to be tested in ways that i think it even hasn't been tested yet, because the former president is making the campaign -- the courtroom part of his reelection effort. don't forget, he announced last year early, so he would be a candidate. bill farr said something else interesting in that great interview last night. he said before the manhattan indictment, trump was flagging and was sagging in the polls and fund-raising. since march, that's how it's risen. it's because of the reaction of republicans who brought him to this point. so we have to buckle up and watch it unfold. we know all of this is unfortunately linked. >> it is kind of a good moment to take a step back and remember we are at a point where you have a former president, a front-runner for the republican nomination to be president again, is about to go into a federal courthouse for a sect federal indictment, third indictment in as many months, and he has seen this and used this successfully so far as a political bonus. it's just, what? >> i'm not a strategist, but can you imagine the bingo card if someone said, wait a second, if there's only something you could use against your opponent, twills impeached, three times indicted, if there's something i could use, you're sieg in many respects the strength of his political resilience as a result. >> it is definitely a big question about what it means for democracy. thank you for joining "inside politics." cnn's special coverage of the federal indictment of donald trump with wolf blitzer and erin burnett begins right now. ♪ hello, i'm wolf blitzer in washington. we're on the verge right now of another historic arrest and arraignment. i'm joined by erin burn -- burnett, she's in new york. i would like to welcome our viewers in the united states and from around the world. president trump will shortly be inarrested and arraigned for the third time. at 4:00 p.m. eastern, he will appear before a federal judge. these are the four charges, based on his efforts to try to overturn the 2020 presidential elecon. conspiracy to defraue united states. conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding. obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights.