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CNN Live At Daybreak

Capitol Police Awaiting Results of Test

Aired February 03, 2004 - 05:01   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: Well, Capitol police are awaiting the results of a final and most definitive test as to what exactly was found in Senator Bill Frist's mailroom. The discovery was made around 3:00 Monday afternoon in the Dirkson Senate Office Building. The building is now closed, as are all of the Senate office buildings.
We want to take you live to Washington and CNN's Kathleen Koch.

She's been following the story.

She has the latest in these -- at least five tests were done on this poison ricin and we're awaiting a -- or on what is suspected to be ricin -- and we're awaiting a sixth test, is that correct?

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Correct, Carol.

And right now there are a lot more questions than answers about whether or not this is, indeed, this deadly poison ricin that, according to authorities, one milligram of it can kill an adult. Obviously, as you explained, this material was found in a mailroom yesterday around 3:00 p.m., this, the mailroom belonging to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist.

It is on the fourth floor of the Dirkson Office Building here on Capitol Hill on the east side of Capitol Hill. And obviously as soon as people, they discovered the substance. Capitol Hill police were alerted. People were evacuated from the, not only the mailroom, but the entire floor. The ventilation system was shut down. Some 16 people were initially exposed. They were decontaminated as a precautionary measure and Capitol Hill police and also Senator Bill Frist held a press conference last night to detail exactly the steps that were being taken.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BILL FRIST (R-TN), SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: Most importantly, nobody has been hurt and everybody is fine. There have been absolutely no injuries whatsoever. There's been a lot of speculation on what ricin is. It is an agent, a poison, a toxin. This is a criminal activity and thus this, as Chief Gainer said, will be investigated as such.

CHIEF TERRANCE GAINER, U.S. CAPITOL POLICE: They conducted two tests. One test came back positive for ricin, but the operators of that thought it was a false positive. They then did a second test which came back negative. Following standard police protocol, they took the samples of that to another facility we have on the campus, where three more tests were done. Each one of those tests indicated positive for ricin.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOCH: Chief Gainer says it is not clear at this point whether or not that substance actually came out of a letter or a package. They still have not determined that, though it was, indeed, found in a mailroom, though it's a very large, very messy mailroom with a lot of paper cuttings on the floor. They are also telling us, again, that because of this finding, not only is the Hart Senate Office Building shot down, but also the Russell -- I mean the Dirkson Building is shut down, but also the Hart and Russell Buildings. The U.S. Capitol will be open today for essential personnel only. But it also is closed to tourists.

Now, you can remember it was only back in 2001 that we had this anthrax scare here on Capitol Hill where not only the Dirkson Building, but the Hart Building was shut down, the Hart Building being the one most affected. That was when a letter was sent to the office of Senator Tom Daschle, an anthrax laced letter. Many -- the offices were shut down for several days while they were cleaned.

But the hope, again, Carol, this morning is that we will find out that hopefully this, again, is nothing, just one of the many scares that we have had since the anthrax attacks of 2001.

COSTELLO: I'm going to ask you a series of questions which you may or may not know, because I know it's early in the investigation.

Is ricin like anthrax? Is it in the powder form?

KOCH: As far as we understand, yes, it is in a powder form and it is a very lethal substance.

COSTELLO: And we don't know if it was found inside of a package or an envelope.

Is it possible it was found just in the mailroom?

KOCH: Exactly, that's what we are being told is that it was found in the mailroom amidst a lot of different cuttings and paper. Now, we don't know if this was on the floor, on a counter. But, again, they're not really clear whether it actually came out of a package or an envelope -- Carol.

COSTELLO: I guess it's just confusing because so many precautions were taken after anthrax was found in mailrooms, especially in Senate office buildings. So it's just strange to think that a powdery substance could just be lying on the floor.

KOCH: Well, obviously someone was very alert and spotted it. But it's important to point out that since the anthrax attacks back in 2001 that mail that comes to Capitol Hill is irradiated, is very carefully inspected, goes through a number of checkpoints before it gets up here, though I am not clear personally as to whether or not irradiation also would kill ricin, just as it does kill anthrax. COSTELLO: But 16 people were taken into a van, they were decontaminated and absolutely no one got sick or is feeling any symptoms at this time.

KOCH: So, again, yes, and that also leading to the hope that this may be just another false alarm -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, we're going to get back to you throughout DAYBREAK.

We appreciate your time, 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






Aired February 3, 2004 - 05:01   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Capitol police are awaiting the results of a final and most definitive test as to what exactly was found in Senator Bill Frist's mailroom. The discovery was made around 3:00 Monday afternoon in the Dirkson Senate Office Building. The building is now closed, as are all of the Senate office buildings.
We want to take you live to Washington and CNN's Kathleen Koch.

She's been following the story.

She has the latest in these -- at least five tests were done on this poison ricin and we're awaiting a -- or on what is suspected to be ricin -- and we're awaiting a sixth test, is that correct?

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Correct, Carol.

And right now there are a lot more questions than answers about whether or not this is, indeed, this deadly poison ricin that, according to authorities, one milligram of it can kill an adult. Obviously, as you explained, this material was found in a mailroom yesterday around 3:00 p.m., this, the mailroom belonging to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist.

It is on the fourth floor of the Dirkson Office Building here on Capitol Hill on the east side of Capitol Hill. And obviously as soon as people, they discovered the substance. Capitol Hill police were alerted. People were evacuated from the, not only the mailroom, but the entire floor. The ventilation system was shut down. Some 16 people were initially exposed. They were decontaminated as a precautionary measure and Capitol Hill police and also Senator Bill Frist held a press conference last night to detail exactly the steps that were being taken.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BILL FRIST (R-TN), SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: Most importantly, nobody has been hurt and everybody is fine. There have been absolutely no injuries whatsoever. There's been a lot of speculation on what ricin is. It is an agent, a poison, a toxin. This is a criminal activity and thus this, as Chief Gainer said, will be investigated as such.

CHIEF TERRANCE GAINER, U.S. CAPITOL POLICE: They conducted two tests. One test came back positive for ricin, but the operators of that thought it was a false positive. They then did a second test which came back negative. Following standard police protocol, they took the samples of that to another facility we have on the campus, where three more tests were done. Each one of those tests indicated positive for ricin.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOCH: Chief Gainer says it is not clear at this point whether or not that substance actually came out of a letter or a package. They still have not determined that, though it was, indeed, found in a mailroom, though it's a very large, very messy mailroom with a lot of paper cuttings on the floor. They are also telling us, again, that because of this finding, not only is the Hart Senate Office Building shot down, but also the Russell -- I mean the Dirkson Building is shut down, but also the Hart and Russell Buildings. The U.S. Capitol will be open today for essential personnel only. But it also is closed to tourists.

Now, you can remember it was only back in 2001 that we had this anthrax scare here on Capitol Hill where not only the Dirkson Building, but the Hart Building was shut down, the Hart Building being the one most affected. That was when a letter was sent to the office of Senator Tom Daschle, an anthrax laced letter. Many -- the offices were shut down for several days while they were cleaned.

But the hope, again, Carol, this morning is that we will find out that hopefully this, again, is nothing, just one of the many scares that we have had since the anthrax attacks of 2001.

COSTELLO: I'm going to ask you a series of questions which you may or may not know, because I know it's early in the investigation.

Is ricin like anthrax? Is it in the powder form?

KOCH: As far as we understand, yes, it is in a powder form and it is a very lethal substance.

COSTELLO: And we don't know if it was found inside of a package or an envelope.

Is it possible it was found just in the mailroom?

KOCH: Exactly, that's what we are being told is that it was found in the mailroom amidst a lot of different cuttings and paper. Now, we don't know if this was on the floor, on a counter. But, again, they're not really clear whether it actually came out of a package or an envelope -- Carol.

COSTELLO: I guess it's just confusing because so many precautions were taken after anthrax was found in mailrooms, especially in Senate office buildings. So it's just strange to think that a powdery substance could just be lying on the floor.

KOCH: Well, obviously someone was very alert and spotted it. But it's important to point out that since the anthrax attacks back in 2001 that mail that comes to Capitol Hill is irradiated, is very carefully inspected, goes through a number of checkpoints before it gets up here, though I am not clear personally as to whether or not irradiation also would kill ricin, just as it does kill anthrax. COSTELLO: But 16 people were taken into a van, they were decontaminated and absolutely no one got sick or is feeling any symptoms at this time.

KOCH: So, again, yes, and that also leading to the hope that this may be just another false alarm -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, we're going to get back to you throughout DAYBREAK.

We appreciate your time, 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