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CNN Live At Daybreak

Anthrax Investigation: Anthrax Anxiety Reaches White House

Aired October 24, 2001 - 08:31   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: Now let's go back to the White House and learn more about the anthrax investigation there.

Major Garrett is on duty there. I think he practically lives there now at this stage of the story.

Major, what's the latest from the White House this morning?

MAJOR GARRETT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning to you, Paula.

Anthrax anxiety has now reached the White House, although in a comparatively lower level form than in other parts of Washington D.C. or other parts of the nation.

The White House confirmed yesterday that an off-site facility, about six miles from the White House compound -- it's known as the Anacostia Naval Station, had tested positive for a very small trace amount of anthrax. The working assumption was that that contamination came from a letter that was from the Brentwood facility, and then contaminated a mechanical letter opener at that Anacostia Naval Station facility. That is the first stopping point on mail that comes to the White House directly. it goes from there to another sorting facility, near, but not inside the White House itself.

White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer told reporters yesterday, there is no evidence whatsoever of any contamination, either in the executive mansion or the West Wing, and the president of the United States yesterday had to answer a question I'm sure he and the people who work for him never imagine he'd ever have to answer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't have anthrax. And the -- it's hard for Americans to imagine how evil the people are who are doing this. We are having to adjust our thinking. We are a kind nation, we're a compassionate nation, we're a nation of strong values, and we value life, and we are learning people in this world want to terrorize our country by trying to take life. They won't succeed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GARRETT: Now, Paula, as a precautionary measure, employees at that Anacostia Naval Station facility and at this White House sorting mailroom are being swabbed and tested. No one has reported any symptoms of any kind of either cutaneous or inhalation anthrax, but nevertheless, precaution are being taken. It's also worth pointing out that the White House takes very, very special precautions dealing with White House mail. It did so before the September 11th attacks. Those precautions have stepped up, and there's no sense whatsoever here, Paula, that anything that had come into the Executive Mansion or the West Wing itself is in any way contaminated -- Paula.

ZAHN: Yes, I think we should point out, and I don't whether you can confirm for me this morning this morning this report in "The Washington Post" that actually delivery to the White House was cut off from October -- since October 11th. Is that what makes everybody believe that the chances of any anthrax-tainted letters is just, you know, very remote, getting through the White House?

GARRETT: We have not confirmed that specific date, Paula, but Ari Fleischer made it abundantly clear yesterday if mail in fact have been stopped, he would not answer the question; he would only reiterate what he said earlier, we have a high level of confidence, nothing is coming into the White House that could be contaminated. We could draw a rather fair inference from that, that mail is not coming in to this particular building.

ZAHN: Also, in the same piece was the piece of information that there seems to be a flu bug going around the White House, and some concern on some of the younger staffers part, that perhaps it's not flu they have, it's something else. Can you just give us your perspective on the general mood there as all of America faces this threat we never thought we would have to deal with?

GARRETT: Well, I made a couple of calls about that this morning, Paula, and the folks I talked to did not report anything that had come up in senior staff meetings or other mid-level staff meetings about people overtly or in any way newly concerned about any sort of flu symptoms, but since September 11th, there has been a good deal of anxiety here at this White House, particularly among mid and junior staffers, who tend to be younger, not really aware of some of the dangers that come with working at the White House, and some senior staff members have had to take a good deal of time, or at least some of their time in their day to help them work through this, to counsel them in some ways, not in a professional sense, not in any sort of therapeutic sense, but nevertheless, just talk them through what's going on here.

And there is a very strong sense that people have here that this place, number one, is an important place in the U.S. government, but also very much a target, and that they in their daily lives coming to work here have become targets, and that does increase their level of anxiety. It makes work a little harder could to concentrate on -- Paula.

ZAHN: All right, Major, thanks so much. Good luck the rest of the workday there. I know you've got a lot to do there this morning. Appreciate your time. Police in Washington say final tests results show no contamination from anthrax in the U.S. Capitol building, but officials are still waiting for the final test results from congressional office buildings. This comes as lawmakers try to focus on an economic stimulus bill.

Kate Snow now joins us from Capitol Hill this morning. She has plenty of territory to cover for us this morning.

Good morning, Kate.

KATE SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.

One of the six major office buildings scheduled to reopen about a half hour from now. That's the Russell Senate office budding, but you're right, the rest of them do remain shut down, as environmental tests continue on all of these buildings.

We've been watching environmental teams going in, geared up in special protective gear, looking for any trace they may find of anthrax. To date, no new reports of any new contamination on Capitol Hill, and Congress is getting back to work. Senators crowding into temporary offices yesterday, they at least have offices in the United States Capitol. Most of the House members do not have offices in the Capitol, so they are sort of forced to be working, some of them out on the parking lot here. Many of them at their houses on Capitol Hill or at facilities nearby.

Later on today, the House will be scheduled to take up a he economic stimulus package to help the economy. It's $100 billion large. It contains rebate checks for those Americans who didn't receive rebate checks this summer, and also tax breaks for corporate interests meant to jump-start the economy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. BILL THOMAS (R), CALIFORNIA: What we are trying to do is to focus on what the society needs and the economy needs in the short- term -- six months, nine months, 12 months -- to provide a stimulus, but not just to provide that stimulus for six, nine or 12 months, but to create a base that you don't snap back after those 12 months, because everything in the package you've done is temporary, and if people know everything in the package is temporary, there will be temporary relief.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SNOW: As that happens inside of the Capitol today, there is some new concern outside the Capitol building. Another letter addressed to Senator Tom Daschle has surfaced at a mail facility in Gaithersburg, Maryland, discovered by a postal employee there, who thought it looked suspicious because it looked, in their view, similar to the letter that was received and opened here last week. The FBI confirming they have that letter, Paula. They are looking into it, but we should note, there are hundreds of different tips coming to the FBI. This is just one of those tips. It could very well prove out to be nothing -- Paula.

ZAHN: And we hope that is exactly what the case is, Kate Snow. Thank you for that update.

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