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Controversy Swirling Around Senator Lott Has Not Died Down
Aired December 18, 2002 - 06:35 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.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: The Capitol Hill controversy swirling around Senator Trent Lott has not died down. Lott is getting some public support from a top Republican, after getting lots of criticism over his comments on segregation.
CNN's Kathleen Koch is live from the Hill with more from there.
Good morning again -- Kathleen.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Fredricka.
Well, you know, Senator Lott is a master politician. He knows how to go after votes, and he has been working the phones, because in this vote, it is his very survival that is at stake. And he has won some key endorsements from fellow Senate Republicans, and he's also won a very unlikely convert in the person of a Democrat. Now, this is Congressman John Lewis of Georgia.
Now, John Lewis is a very well-respected veteran leader of the civil rights movement in the 1960s, and Congressman Lewis was pursued by Senator Lott since Friday. The two have finally spoken, and Lewis has come out saying it's time to forgive Senator Lott and let him make good on some of these new promises.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JOHN LEWIS (D), GEORGIA: I think he'd like to find a way to compensate, to make up. In my telephone conversation with him, he said he had hurt a lot of people and caused a lot of damage. And he wanted to find a way to make up, to build a greater sense of community.
And that's what the movement was all about, bringing people together. And you don't do that by continuing to tear people down. You find a way to build people up. If people can lay down the past and come together and work together for the common good, I'm all for that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOCH: And, of course, the strongest endorsement yet -- endorsement or word of support has come from Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska, the senior Republican in the Senate.
The White House still remaining largely silent on this point. Ari Fleischer continuing to say that Mr. Bush believes that Trent Lott does not need to resign, but again, that is far from a ringing (ph) endorsement of the White House at this point, preferring simply to stay out of it.
Now, what we're seeing right now is a lot of different Republicans jockeying for position, trying to see who might be the best potential successor to Senator Lott. Let's run through just a really quick list.
No. 2 Republican in the Senate, 54-year-old Don Nickles of Oklahoma. Slight problem: He has a very conservative voting record, very similar to Trent Lott's.
Sixty-year-old Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, he, next month, succeeds Senator Nickles as assistant GOP leader.
And then also Bill Frist of Tennessee, the 50-year-old senator and heart surgeon, very popular with the White House; also helped lead the successful takeover of the Senate by the Republicans in the November elections.
Back to you -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, thanks a lot, Kathleen.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
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Aired December 18, 2002 - 06:35 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: The Capitol Hill controversy swirling around Senator Trent Lott has not died down. Lott is getting some public support from a top Republican, after getting lots of criticism over his comments on segregation.
CNN's Kathleen Koch is live from the Hill with more from there.
Good morning again -- Kathleen.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Fredricka.
Well, you know, Senator Lott is a master politician. He knows how to go after votes, and he has been working the phones, because in this vote, it is his very survival that is at stake. And he has won some key endorsements from fellow Senate Republicans, and he's also won a very unlikely convert in the person of a Democrat. Now, this is Congressman John Lewis of Georgia.
Now, John Lewis is a very well-respected veteran leader of the civil rights movement in the 1960s, and Congressman Lewis was pursued by Senator Lott since Friday. The two have finally spoken, and Lewis has come out saying it's time to forgive Senator Lott and let him make good on some of these new promises.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JOHN LEWIS (D), GEORGIA: I think he'd like to find a way to compensate, to make up. In my telephone conversation with him, he said he had hurt a lot of people and caused a lot of damage. And he wanted to find a way to make up, to build a greater sense of community.
And that's what the movement was all about, bringing people together. And you don't do that by continuing to tear people down. You find a way to build people up. If people can lay down the past and come together and work together for the common good, I'm all for that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOCH: And, of course, the strongest endorsement yet -- endorsement or word of support has come from Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska, the senior Republican in the Senate.
The White House still remaining largely silent on this point. Ari Fleischer continuing to say that Mr. Bush believes that Trent Lott does not need to resign, but again, that is far from a ringing (ph) endorsement of the White House at this point, preferring simply to stay out of it.
Now, what we're seeing right now is a lot of different Republicans jockeying for position, trying to see who might be the best potential successor to Senator Lott. Let's run through just a really quick list.
No. 2 Republican in the Senate, 54-year-old Don Nickles of Oklahoma. Slight problem: He has a very conservative voting record, very similar to Trent Lott's.
Sixty-year-old Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, he, next month, succeeds Senator Nickles as assistant GOP leader.
And then also Bill Frist of Tennessee, the 50-year-old senator and heart surgeon, very popular with the White House; also helped lead the successful takeover of the Senate by the Republicans in the November elections.
Back to you -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, thanks a lot, Kathleen.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Down>
