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CNN Live Today

Bush Rallies Homeland Security Workers

Aired July 10, 2002 - 12:06   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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush today rallied a cross section of federal workers who will part of the new Homeland Security Department, assuming the department is created.

CNN White House Correspondent Suzanne Malveaux tells us about that -- Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, the president is pushing forward his domestic agenda, an attempt really to get the stalled legislation out of the hands of Congress and on his desk. There's a sense of urgency. That is because Congress will be recessing in three weeks for their summer break.

It was early this morning that the president, accompanied by at least half a dozen cabinet members, spoke before some 3,000 federal employees, calling for the creation of the Department of Homeland Security. This is a mammoth undertaking, involving some 170,000 federal employees, in 22 different federal agencies, the president really trying to win over the support of the American people, and in doing so, putting pressure on Congress to act and to act quickly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There is an overriding and urgent mission here in America today, and that's to protect our homeland. We have been called into action, and we've got to act. The Department of Homeland Security will foster a new culture in the nation's capitol. It will be a culture of cooperation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Now, as for the president's proposal for greater corporate responsibility and ethics, which he introduced yesterday, some aides saying that perhaps the buildup was too great, the expectations too high in terms of what his speech actually would accomplish. As you know, the Dow Jones had dropped. Some on Wall Street yawned, and Democrats literally had a field day with it saying that the initiative was very weak.

But Ari Fleischer, White House spokesperson early this morning saying that already progress has been made in a compromise legislative bill between the Democrats as well as the Republicans and the administration, and he said they are about 95 percent there in getting that bill finalized to put it on the president's desk. They expect that the president will sign that version -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Suzanne, on a different note, what more can you tell us about this lawsuit concerning Vice President Dick Cheney on the accounting practices of this company he used to run?

MALVEAUX: Well, Judicial Watch is taking to task Vice President Cheney as well as Halliburton. That is the oil company that he ran as CEO before he was vice president.

This, of course, is bad news for the White House. Clearly, they do not want any additional scandals or questions about the White House's own practices in business itself; Mr. Bush being dogged by questions of his own role as a director of the Harken Energy Group some dozen years ago. The president said he did no wrongdoing.

Vice President Dick Cheney's office saying that this is a case without merit but clearly they do not want this to be another distraction, it only opens up the opportunity for Democrats to call into question whether or not this administration has moral authority to lecture Wall Street or to call for corporate responsibility -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Suzanne Malveaux at the White House, thank you.

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