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CNN Live At Daybreak

Talk with Jimmy Barrett

Aired October 31, 2002 - 05:38   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.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Now it is time for the Talk of CNN. We want to talk to our friend Jimmy Barrett at WRVA News Radio 1140 AM in Richmond, Virginia.
Jimmy?

CHAD MYERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A busy week for him last week. Wow.

JIMMY BARRETT, WRVA RADIO CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we had a real busy week. Hi, guys.

COSTELLO: Hi.

MYERS: Hey, good morning, Jimmy.

BARRETT: It's Carol Costello and Chad Myers at CNN in Atlanta. Jimmy Barrett here in Richmond, Virginia.

Where's your costume?

COSTELLO: Well, Chad's dressed as a weatherman and I...

MYERS: I am the great and powerful Oz.

BARRETT: Pay no attention to the man behind the microphone, huh?

COSTELLO: Hey, Jimmy, let's talk a little bit about this sniper investigation and why everybody is trying to try these guys first and how unseemly it's all getting to feel.

BARRETT: Well, it's beginning to feel very political, isn't it? And it is very political. Let, you know, nobody, first of all, everybody wants to get their hands on these guys. Everybody wants to appear to be tough on crime. Maryland thinks that they should go first because they suffered the most, they had the most victims in all this. Virginia thinks that we should go first because we are ready, willing and able to have a capital murder charge against, in particular, the 17-year-old, if it turns out he had something directly to do with the shootings, so...

COSTELLO: Yes, and Governor Warner apparently said something about this. Can you tell us what he said?

BARRETT: Well, the governor was doing, he does two monthly "Ask The Governor" shows, one at WTOP, which I know is also on early morning with you folks, and one here with me. By the way, that'll be coming up later today. And I think the governor is, you know, he's basically said yes, we would have the ability to do that. I don't think he's really come down yet and said that's exactly what we want to do.

But you know what? Virginia is very much in favor of the death penalty. So I would be shocked that any politician in power would say anything against charging John Lee Malvo with a capital murder crime.

COSTELLO: Well, I guess it's hard to come right out and say we want to try this guy first because we want to kill him.

BARRETT: Well, that's true, you know? But here's the thing, you're either for the death penalty or you're against the death penalty. And if you're for the death penalty, you know why it was created. And if ever there was a case where the death penalty is deserved, this would be the case. And I think, you know, personally, if this 17-year-old is also responsible for the shootings, I have no problem saying you know what, you were old enough to crawl into the back of that trunk, aim that weapon and fire it, you're old enough to die.

COSTELLO: Isn't it nice to be a radio talk show host? You can just give your opinions.

BARRETT: Exactly.

COSTELLO: That's right.

BARRETT: Exactly.

COSTELLO: Hey, let's talk about these immigrants that were arrested at the Exxon gas station by mistake. Remember when police swarmed on this gas station in Virginia and arrested these two guys in a white van? What's happened to them?

BARRETT: Well, here's the thing, well, you had a Mexican and a Guatemalan. Right now folks who are watching CNN, you see the Exxon station involved on West Broad and Parum Street (ph). These guys were in the wrong place at the wrong time, but they were also in the wrong place period. Neither one of them were legal immigrants.

The Mexican has a wife and children. He has been here, evidently, a year and a half. They have, he has gotten out on bail, $3,000 bail. Now, he has until January the 10th to voluntarily return with his family to Mexico. They're giving him that extra time because he does have a family involved. The Guatemalan, he's going to be deported immediately.

But, you know, when you look at the Haitian situation, the Haitians and the Cubans and the various different policies here, you can understand a little, can't you, why maybe the Haitian community is a little upset that we have dueling policies as it relates to immigrants?

COSTELLO: Yes, because when Cubans reach, you know, American soil, they get to stay, but not Haitians, and not anybody else who comes in from another country.

Jimmy Barrett, we have to run.

BARRETT: All right, see you later.

COSTELLO: Thanks.

MYERS: Thank you, sir. Have a good day.

BARRETT: There you go.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired October 31, 2002 - 05:38   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Now it is time for the Talk of CNN. We want to talk to our friend Jimmy Barrett at WRVA News Radio 1140 AM in Richmond, Virginia.
Jimmy?

CHAD MYERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A busy week for him last week. Wow.

JIMMY BARRETT, WRVA RADIO CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we had a real busy week. Hi, guys.

COSTELLO: Hi.

MYERS: Hey, good morning, Jimmy.

BARRETT: It's Carol Costello and Chad Myers at CNN in Atlanta. Jimmy Barrett here in Richmond, Virginia.

Where's your costume?

COSTELLO: Well, Chad's dressed as a weatherman and I...

MYERS: I am the great and powerful Oz.

BARRETT: Pay no attention to the man behind the microphone, huh?

COSTELLO: Hey, Jimmy, let's talk a little bit about this sniper investigation and why everybody is trying to try these guys first and how unseemly it's all getting to feel.

BARRETT: Well, it's beginning to feel very political, isn't it? And it is very political. Let, you know, nobody, first of all, everybody wants to get their hands on these guys. Everybody wants to appear to be tough on crime. Maryland thinks that they should go first because they suffered the most, they had the most victims in all this. Virginia thinks that we should go first because we are ready, willing and able to have a capital murder charge against, in particular, the 17-year-old, if it turns out he had something directly to do with the shootings, so...

COSTELLO: Yes, and Governor Warner apparently said something about this. Can you tell us what he said?

BARRETT: Well, the governor was doing, he does two monthly "Ask The Governor" shows, one at WTOP, which I know is also on early morning with you folks, and one here with me. By the way, that'll be coming up later today. And I think the governor is, you know, he's basically said yes, we would have the ability to do that. I don't think he's really come down yet and said that's exactly what we want to do.

But you know what? Virginia is very much in favor of the death penalty. So I would be shocked that any politician in power would say anything against charging John Lee Malvo with a capital murder crime.

COSTELLO: Well, I guess it's hard to come right out and say we want to try this guy first because we want to kill him.

BARRETT: Well, that's true, you know? But here's the thing, you're either for the death penalty or you're against the death penalty. And if you're for the death penalty, you know why it was created. And if ever there was a case where the death penalty is deserved, this would be the case. And I think, you know, personally, if this 17-year-old is also responsible for the shootings, I have no problem saying you know what, you were old enough to crawl into the back of that trunk, aim that weapon and fire it, you're old enough to die.

COSTELLO: Isn't it nice to be a radio talk show host? You can just give your opinions.

BARRETT: Exactly.

COSTELLO: That's right.

BARRETT: Exactly.

COSTELLO: Hey, let's talk about these immigrants that were arrested at the Exxon gas station by mistake. Remember when police swarmed on this gas station in Virginia and arrested these two guys in a white van? What's happened to them?

BARRETT: Well, here's the thing, well, you had a Mexican and a Guatemalan. Right now folks who are watching CNN, you see the Exxon station involved on West Broad and Parum Street (ph). These guys were in the wrong place at the wrong time, but they were also in the wrong place period. Neither one of them were legal immigrants.

The Mexican has a wife and children. He has been here, evidently, a year and a half. They have, he has gotten out on bail, $3,000 bail. Now, he has until January the 10th to voluntarily return with his family to Mexico. They're giving him that extra time because he does have a family involved. The Guatemalan, he's going to be deported immediately.

But, you know, when you look at the Haitian situation, the Haitians and the Cubans and the various different policies here, you can understand a little, can't you, why maybe the Haitian community is a little upset that we have dueling policies as it relates to immigrants?

COSTELLO: Yes, because when Cubans reach, you know, American soil, they get to stay, but not Haitians, and not anybody else who comes in from another country.

Jimmy Barrett, we have to run.

BARRETT: All right, see you later.

COSTELLO: Thanks.

MYERS: Thank you, sir. Have a good day.

BARRETT: There you go.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com