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CNN Live Today

FBI Comes Under Senate Microscope

Aired June 06, 2002 - 14:21   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.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Let's go back to Capitol Hill, where the Senate Judiciary Committee has been putting the FBI under a microscope today.

CNN's Kate Snow has been listening in as well. She's going to join us now and give us a bit of the highlights we've heard today so far.

KATE SNOW, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Leon.

I want to start with what you were just talking about, actually, with Jeanne Meserve.

You know, she just mentioned a minute ago that the reaction of Capitol Hill to the new Homeland Security structure that the president is going to announce tonight has been mostly positive, and that's true.

But I've got to tell you, just a few minutes ago, when we went back to the hearing there, we showed you Joseph Biden, the senator of Delaware talking, you missed a little bit of what he said right before we brought our cameras back for our CNN viewers. I'd like to share that with you, because he was very critical.

He started out by saying, "I don't know," and I'm quoting, "I don't know what the hell we're doing with homeland security because, frankly, nobody's told me."

And then he had this very abrupt exchange with Robert Mueller, the director of the FBI.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOSEPH BIDEN (D-DE), JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: You are in this committee. I am not asking you -- there is no executive privilege here. I'm asking you whether you were consulted. That's all I'm asking you. And if you can't tell us whether you're consulted before the president of the United States is about to announce a total reorganization of the entire homeland defense effort -- you can't tell us whether or not your jurisdiction is going to be changed. You can't tell us whether or not there will be a synthesis of intelligence from the White House sources, including all of these agencies. How are we to... ROBERT MUELLER, FBI DIRECTOR: I think the president is entitled to make whatever announcement the president is going to make tonight, and I would be happy to come back tomorrow, after the president has made his announcement, and discuss it.

But I do not believe that it is appropriate for me to, because of the coincidence of this hearing today, to get into discussions that the president may have had with regard to whatever he is going to announce tonight.

BIDEN: I'm not even asking you to. Has he spoken to you about this?

MUELLER: Again, senator...

BIDEN: I think this is ridiculous.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SNOW: You get a sense there for the flavor just a few minutes ago, Leon.

Now, we are expecting Coleen Rowley to show up here within the hour, perhaps about 45 minutes from now. She, of course, the whistleblower from Minneapolis.

One last thing. Senator Leahy said they'll call the director back at some point to talk more about this reorganization of homeland security and this new intelligence agency. They said we'll call you back later -- Leon.

HARRIS: Good deal. He'll have an answer then. Kate Snow in Washington, thanks much. We'll get back to you later on.

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