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CNN Live At Daybreak

Anthrax Scare: Talk with Senate Minority Leader Daschle

Aired October 16, 2001 - 07:15   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: And welcome back at 17 minutes after the hour, that is. Anthrax has now invaded the U.S. Congress.

Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle joins us now from the Russell Rotunda in the Capitol after a tainted letter arrived in his office and tested positive for the disease.

Good morning. Thanks so much for joining us this morning.

SEN. THOMAS DASCHLE (D-SD), SENATE MINORITY LEADER: My pleasure, Paula.

ZAHN: So, Senator, can you describe to us the conditions under which this letter was opened?

DASCHLE: Well, the letter was opened about 10:15 yesterday morning. A chalky powder fell out of the envelope and immediately our staff contacted the Capitol physician as well as the Capitol police. They came over, field tested or tested on site the substance and determined it was anthrax. And a second test was done and the same determination was made. That substance has now been sent to a laboratory for confirmation.

ZAHN: How many people do you believe came into physical contact with the letter?

DASCHLE: Judging from the tests that were taken immediately following this episode, to our knowledge only one person was directly in contact. But 40 people, actually, 50 people were tested and we're monitoring the situation to determine whether there was any additional exposure beyond the immediate area.

ZAHN: And you took that precautionary measure because at this point it's not certain whether it's the kind of anthrax you contract through the skin or it's the inhalation variety?

DASCHLE: That's correct. It is possible that through the ventilation system some of the anthrax bacteria could have been disseminated to other parts of the office. So in order to absolutely ensure that there was no dissemination, we are taking every precaution necessary. But people are being tested. People are being monitored and we'll make that determination on, I guess on an hour to hour basis. ZAHN: Do you have reason to believe that letter arrived yesterday morning or is there any possibility it was sitting there for a couple of days?

DASCHLE: I really don't know the specifics, Paula, as to when the letter arrived. It was dated, as you know, the 18th of September. So it's obviously been in the system for some time. But I have no other information than what I've been given so far.

ZAHN: And we understand you actually were not in these offices physically. You were someplace in the Capitol when it arrived. But are you taking Cipro as a precaution?

DASCHLE: I am not. I was tested yesterday and the test was negative. So as long as the tests continue to be negative, I don't think that any antibiotics are going to be necessary.

ZAHN: And do you have any idea why your office would have been targeted?

DASCHLE: I don't. I, the investigation, of course, is ongoing and maybe some of the results will be provided at some later time. But to my knowledge, there is no, there no, any information at this point which would indicate that our office was targeted for a specific reason. I contacted immediately all the other offices just to put them on an even higher alert. But at least so far there are no other letters, no other pieces of evidence to suggest that the other offices have been targeted.

ZAHN: So there's no way of determining today for you to say OK, I sit on this committee and I sit on this committee and that would make me more vulnerable to this type of attack?

DASCHLE: That's right. I, again, as I say, I'm sure that the investigation may produce additional information which would give us a little better understanding as to why this office was targeted. But at least this morning we don't have that information.

ZAHN: We understand you spoke with the family members of the person who opened the letter. What are they telling you? First of all, we don't know that -- was it a female worker who opened the letter -- or a male worker?

DASCHLE: Yes, it was.

ZAHN: And what did they telling you about her condition today?

DASCHLE: She's doing very well. She was administered with antibiotics immediately. They are, they have told us that it's 100 percent successful in the treatment of exposure. I have talked to her father as well as to others who have been, other family members who have been exposed and at least to date I think we can say without equivocation there's every reason to be confident that this situation has been contained and people have been treated effectively. The family members have been quite understanding and extremely sympathetic to the situation. ZAHN: And can you confirm for us this morning whether this was a full-time employee or an intern?

DASCHLE: They have asked me not to make any additional information available until the investigation can be more completely examined. I think that at some later date we'll be able to provide more complete information. But at this point because they've made that request, I'll respect it.

ZAHN: And are you able to tell us whether there was anything unusual about this envelope that arrived at your office?

DASCHLE: Well, the only unusual thing that I guess I can talk about is the fact that it was well taped and because it was well taped, I think it avoided the normal detection that we have a capacity now to provide. That detection system is going to have to be analyzed so that we can do a more effective job in the future, but that heavy tape, I think, was a factor in how this situation got to the point that it did.

ZAHN: And finally, sir, this morning, a personal reflection on what your office has gone through, people who work for you and how it's impacted you personally?

DASCHLE: Well, I'm very, very concerned for the staff. They have been through a very difficult period. But I'm very proud of them. They handled themselves admirably yesterday. I am angered that something like this would happen not only to the Capitol, but specifically to my office and to my staff. I think I guess we're also resolved. We're not going to let this stop us. We're going to continue to do what we have to do. We believe strongly in what it is we're doing and we're going to continue to do it as effectively as we know how to do it.

ZAHN: Well, thank you. We appreciate your telling us as much as you could this morning. Good luck to you and your staff at this very scary time.

DASCHLE: Thank you.

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