Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live At Daybreak
Wake-Up Call: A Lott of Controversy
Aired December 20, 2002 - 06:10 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: And we want to get the inside scoop now from Washington on the Lott controversy. For that we woke up our congressional correspondent Jonathan Karl -- Jonathan Karl who joins us live by phone. Actually, you are awake and you're on your way to work in the car on the phone with us.
JONATHAN KARL, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Carol.
Hey, I like that statement you just read from Lott's spokesperson in terms of saying Lott will be the majority leader when Congress returns. I think Lott's spokesperson may be about the last person who thinks that on Capital Hill. I mean this is -- this was a major, major seat change yesterday...
COSTELLO: Oh yes, because doesn't President Bush really like Senator Frist? I mean that's somebody that the White House would support.
KARL: Well the White House has made no secret that he likes Senator Frist. But now the White House is trying to do everything possible to say that they are out of this leadership battle because now you have a new dynamic that has set in and that is it looks like for certain there is going to be a race here for majority leader. And a lot of members of the Senate, this is a very proud institution, a lot of Republicans do not like the idea of the White House picking their candidate. So now Frist kind of needs to de-emphasize the fact that the White House likes him so much.
COSTELLO: How's he going to do that, everybody already knows it?
KARL: Yes, we've been talking about it for several days, haven't we -- Carol?
COSTELLO: Yes.
KARL: Yes, it's a -- it's a...
COSTELLO: Well don't you think that there will come a time before January 6 that Trent Lott will gracefully step aside?
KARL: That is exactly the expectation. I've spoken over the last 12 hours to some of Trent Lott's closest friends and allies who, to a person, believe that he will pull out of this far in advance of January 6. One of his -- one very close Trent Lott ally, who's been defending him all along, said that he believes that Lott could pull out as early as today.
COSTELLO: Well the bigger question is is will he just step down as the majority leader or will he step away from the Senate?
KARL: Now he answered that question the day before yesterday and he may want to revisit that, who knows. But the day before yesterday he said that he has a six-year contract with the people of Mississippi and he's got another four years on that contract and he intends to fill -- fulfill it.
Now who knows what happens because, as you know, there had been talk all along and Trent Lott, we have been told, had been telling his colleagues that if he was forced out that he would step all the way down, all the way out of the Senate. A major threat because you have a Democratic governor in Mississippi that would appoint a successor, but Lott now on -- is now on the record day before yesterday saying he's going to fulfill his term.
COSTELLO: OK, we'll see.
Jonathan Karl, thanks very much. We'll let you get back on the road and get down to the Washington bureau.
If you want to get inside politics and more news on the Lott controversy, log on to CNN.com. There you can also check out video from those weighing in, including former President Bill Clinton.
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 December 20, 2002 - 06:10 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And we want to get the inside scoop now from Washington on the Lott controversy. For that we woke up our congressional correspondent Jonathan Karl -- Jonathan Karl who joins us live by phone. Actually, you are awake and you're on your way to work in the car on the phone with us.
JONATHAN KARL, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Carol.
Hey, I like that statement you just read from Lott's spokesperson in terms of saying Lott will be the majority leader when Congress returns. I think Lott's spokesperson may be about the last person who thinks that on Capital Hill. I mean this is -- this was a major, major seat change yesterday...
COSTELLO: Oh yes, because doesn't President Bush really like Senator Frist? I mean that's somebody that the White House would support.
KARL: Well the White House has made no secret that he likes Senator Frist. But now the White House is trying to do everything possible to say that they are out of this leadership battle because now you have a new dynamic that has set in and that is it looks like for certain there is going to be a race here for majority leader. And a lot of members of the Senate, this is a very proud institution, a lot of Republicans do not like the idea of the White House picking their candidate. So now Frist kind of needs to de-emphasize the fact that the White House likes him so much.
COSTELLO: How's he going to do that, everybody already knows it?
KARL: Yes, we've been talking about it for several days, haven't we -- Carol?
COSTELLO: Yes.
KARL: Yes, it's a -- it's a...
COSTELLO: Well don't you think that there will come a time before January 6 that Trent Lott will gracefully step aside?
KARL: That is exactly the expectation. I've spoken over the last 12 hours to some of Trent Lott's closest friends and allies who, to a person, believe that he will pull out of this far in advance of January 6. One of his -- one very close Trent Lott ally, who's been defending him all along, said that he believes that Lott could pull out as early as today.
COSTELLO: Well the bigger question is is will he just step down as the majority leader or will he step away from the Senate?
KARL: Now he answered that question the day before yesterday and he may want to revisit that, who knows. But the day before yesterday he said that he has a six-year contract with the people of Mississippi and he's got another four years on that contract and he intends to fill -- fulfill it.
Now who knows what happens because, as you know, there had been talk all along and Trent Lott, we have been told, had been telling his colleagues that if he was forced out that he would step all the way down, all the way out of the Senate. A major threat because you have a Democratic governor in Mississippi that would appoint a successor, but Lott now on -- is now on the record day before yesterday saying he's going to fulfill his term.
COSTELLO: OK, we'll see.
Jonathan Karl, thanks very much. We'll let you get back on the road and get down to the Washington bureau.
If you want to get inside politics and more news on the Lott controversy, log on to CNN.com. There you can also check out video from those weighing in, including former President Bill Clinton.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
