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CNN Live Today

America Under Attack: White House, Air Force One May Have Been Targets

Aired September 12, 2001 - 15:10   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Also, at this hour, more than 30 hours after the first plane crashed into the World Trade Center, New York's mayor Rudy Giuliani now speaking again with reporters in Manhattan.

(AUDIO GAP)

HEMMER: Apparently, we're having difficulties thus far, Joie. But we're hoping to establish that audio shortly from New York City.

JOIE CHEN, CNN ANCHOR: We want to move on, just try to bring you up to date on all the coverage that we've been getting and putting things together. We have John King standing by for us at the White House now, late update on information he's getting there.

John?

JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Joie, good afternoon to you, some extraordinary, new information. As the investigation continues and as we ask more and more questions, the White House now going on the record, saying publicly, from the press secretary's office, that one of the reasons the president did not come directly back to Washington yesterday -- remember the president was in Sarasota, Florida, when first - when the first one - the two planes hit the World Trade Center and then the third plane hit the Pentagon. The White House now saying one of the reasons that the president did not come directly back was - quote - "because there was reasonable and credible information that the White House and Air Force One were targets."

Air Force One, obviously, the president's plane was with him in Florida at the time.

Now what the White House is saying, is, No. 1, that the plane that struck the Pentagon may have initially been targeting the White House and at the last minute, decided to veer off and hit the Pentagon, which is only a few miles away, instead. We tried to get more direct information as to why the White House is saying now that they considered Air Force One to be a potential target because this is an area we explored throughout the day yesterday.

Remember, the president started at an education event in Sarasota, Florida. He heard about these initial attacks, went onto a military base in Louisiana. Then when we thought he might be coming back to Washington, he went onto another military base. This one in Nebraska, ultimately, returning to Washington last night with this extraordinary military escort. You see the wing of Air Force One, a 747, there with a fighter jet off the wing. Other fighter jets also visible to those traveling onboard Air Force One, on the final leg yesterday. But at this time, when you're seeing these pictures yesterday evening, we had already been told that there were no more planes flying over the United States, except for authorized military planes, and other flights authorized by the United States government.

So we have yet to get an answer as to just how Air Force One was considered to be a target or whether the White House believes that there was an effort by these hijackers to actually try to ram one of these planes into Air Force One, for example. We're not getting answers to those questions just yet. But the White House saying it had - quote -- "reasonable and credible information that the White House and Air Force One were targets".

Now the White House making this statement amid some questioning, second-guessing, you might say grumbling in Washington among conservatives and others who believe that the president should have made his way back to Washington sooner, that it was a very important political symbol for the president to be at the White House as all of this unfolded. It is after a few, a little criticism. And we should be careful and put this into context -- overwhelming bipartisan support for the president that the moment but there have been some questions raised about why it took so long to get him back to the White House.

Ari Fleischer, the White House press secretary, and others in his office, now saying on the record, the reason was they believe this building and the president's plane were targets -- Joie.

CHEN: CNN's senior White House correspondent John King joining us from the lawn of the White House.

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