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Ashcroft to Announce Sentencing Goals for Moussaoui Trial

Aired March 28, 2002 - 09:33   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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: We are going to quickly go to our Washington bureau where Susan Candiotti is standing by with a preview of something we have learned that John Ashcroft, the attorney general, will announce shortly. Good morning, Susan, what have you learned?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula. Well, it is expected that U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft will be making an announcement shortly as to whether he will seek the death penalty against suspected terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui.

You will recall that Mr. Moussaoui is the only person charged so far in connection with the September 11 attacks. The U.S. attorney general is expected to make that announcement shortly, during a news appearance -- a news conference in Miami, Florida where he is attending a naturalization ceremony. Now we do know that Zacarias Moussaoui, there has been considerable debate as to whether the U.S. government should seek the death penalty against him. You will recall that he is charged with six conspiracy counts, including using a plane as a weapon of mass destruction.

There is debate on both sides, and we also know that the French government reportedly has said that it will not cooperate with the United States in this investigation if the death penalty is sought, because the French oppose the use of the death penalty as a violation of civil rights.

Nevertheless, there is -- considerable talk in the Justice Department that they are moving forward with this decision towards a death penalty upon conviction, because in their view, they enough evidence, though it is circumstantial at best, to seek the death penalty upon conviction. There are others who disagree. And we expect that announcement to be made very shortly, probably within the hour from Miami -- back to you, Paula.

ZAHN: Susan, I can't think anybody that better represents that debate than two guests we had on yesterday, both of whom lost family members on 9/11, the man arguing that he feels the death penalty is just, that is what should happen, a woman who lost her husband saying the death penalty is too good for Zacarias Moussaoui, and said that she would like to see him rot in prison. I guess those two viewpoints do accurately reflect why this debate is so heated.

All right, thanks Susan. Thank you for that update.

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