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CNN Saturday Morning News

White House Accuses Senator Clinton of Creating Political Divisions

Aired May 18, 2002 - 08:06   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.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: In other news this morning, the White House is accusing Democratic Senator Hillary Clinton of creating political divisions over the president's handling of terror warnings before September 11.

We get our story from congressional correspondent Jonathan Karl.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JONATHAN KARL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For the White House, the only thing more upsetting than this "New York Post" headline on Thursday was Senator Clinton's reaction.

SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D), NEW YORK: Questions raised by one of our newspapers in New York with the headline "Bush Knew," the president knew what?

KARL: The White House says when New York Mayor Bloomberg saw the headline, he called the White House.

ARI FLEISCHER, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I have to say the disappointment that Mrs. Clinton, having seen that same headline, did not call the White House, did not ask if it was accurate or not. Instead, she immediately went to the floor of the Senate and I'm sorry to say that she followed that headline and divided.

KARL: Advisers to Senator Clinton immediately took issue with Fleischer's comments, saying the senator never criticized the president, but was simply asking the same questions being asked by her constituents. In New York, reporters asked Senator Clinton for a response.

CLINTON: I am only seeking answers and information. I am not looking to point fingers or place blame on anybody. I've been on the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue and I know how difficult these decisions are.

KARL: To bolster their case that congressional intelligence committees had access to the same information as the president, the White House cited this interview with Senator Dianne Feinstein on CNN's "Late Edition" more than two months before September 11.

SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D), CALIFORNIA: One of the things that has begun to concern me very much as to whether we really have our house in order, intelligence staff have told me that there is a major probability of a terrorist incident within the next three months.

FLEISCHER: Clearly, if Senator Feinstein, a Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, was aware of this, the question arises what did the Democrats know and why weren't they talking to each other?

KARL (on camera): Senator Feinstein acknowledges having what she called "an impending sense of doom last summer" based on the generalized information she received from the Intelligence Committee. But she says that when she called for immediate steps to be taken to bolster homeland defense, she was rebuffed by the White House.

Jonathan Karl, CNN, Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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