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CNN Live At Daybreak

Target: Terrorism: Discussion with Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott

Aired October 31, 2001 - 08:46   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: The September 11th attacks put airport security at the forefront of the war against terrorism. As we mentioned, House Democrats vote tomorrow on an aviation security bill that would require airport screeners to be federal employees. That measure unanimously passed.

Joining us now from the White House is Senate minority leader Trent Lott. He has been meeting with President Bush, who opposes that version of the bill.

Good to talk with you. I think this first opportunity I have had to interview you since I changed my place of residence.

SEN. TRENT LOTT (R-MS), SENATE MINORITY LEADER: It's good to talk to you again, Paula.

ZAHN: Thank you, senator.

First of all, I don't know whether you were able to hear what House minority leader Dick Gephardt had to say. He said the president didn't make it clear exactly how he might react to whichever version is passed in the House, but he was reasonably confident that the president would go with whatever version passed in the House. What are your thoughts this morning?

LOTT: The president clearly wants us to pass an aviation security bill, and we are going to get that done.

In the Senate, we tried to make some improvements in it. In fact, some changes were made. There are some good provisions in the Senate-passed bill. It passed 100 to nothing, as you noted. But, a number of us, including myself, had serious reservations about it. I think that the House approach is better. The bill that Congressman Young has come up with, to me, is a better approach.

But the important thing is that we work through this, do the best we can make our case, and get a result. And I believe with House prepared to act tomorrow, we'll get into conference, and we will quickly come up with a bill. You can argue over what is best way to do it. And there are good arguments on both sides, but the important thing is we show once again American people we are going to do what is necessary for them to feel secure as much as is humanly possible when they get on an airplane, and we are going to have a result before the Thanksgiving recess.

ZAHN: Senator, I want don't want to read too much into what you are saying here, but are you sort of implying you don't think the president then will have to execute any sort of executive order?

LOTT: The president may have to look at executive orders. But, I think some of the things that need to be done are going to require legislative action. For instance, we are going to have more security, and there are going to be additional costs. How is that going to paid for? I think clearly the Congress has responsibility to decide if there are going to be fees and how much, and will they be administered. I hope we will keep those to minimum, so that it won't drive up the price of tickets too much, but we feel the security is essential. That is an area where the president thinks we should act, and there are some other areas.

A lot can be done by executive order, a lot is already being done by the Department of Transportation, but clearly, more is needed.

ZAHN: We understand that Senator Frist briefed a number of Senate colleagues on the implication of what might have happened if the anthrax from the Senator Daschle letter had gotten into the ventilation system in that office building. Did you attend that briefing?

LOTT: I have been to so many briefings, Paula, and I have talked to Senator Frist, Doctor Frist, so many times. I asked him to be our point person, to make sure that he attended, and met with CDC and health officials, everybody, and keep the leadership briefed as to what was his interpretation, and what he was finding out.

I don't think it is a good thing, though, to be speculating on what might have been. The fact is that Senator Daschle's staff acted quickly. They realized it was a problem. They did get the necessary medicines, to buy antibiotics to treat them. We believe we have it contained. On the Senate side, we are in the process of cleaning it up.

Clearly, there is a problem. Somebody has sent out this anthrax in letters, not just to Congress, but to celebrities, of course, and the media, and Supreme Court, and other places, and we have to deal with this in a very serious way.

It is a new threat. It is one that we have to be very careful about. But I believe we are getting on top of it now. And are going to be able to deal with it even better in the future.

ZAHN: Senator, I know you said it is not appropriate to speculate on what might have been, but is it true that Dr. Frist/Senator Frist did just that when he said everyone potentially in that Hart office building might have been killed if they had been exposed to the anthrax ventilation system and not treated. Did he say that?

LOTT: I don't remember him saying that. Perhaps he did. I may not have been there. But I mean, you don't have to be a doctor or scientist to figure out that if it had gotten into the ventilation system, and there had been a substantial amount of it, you know, and we had not been aware of, it could have caused major problems. But once you find out or realize you have this threat, you get a shot, you take antibiotics, and you have almost, I presume, a 100 percent probability that you are going to be OK.

ZAHN: On a much lighter note, what did you think of the president's big pitch last night before the World Series game?

LOTT: I told him this morning I thought that it was pretty good pitch, right across the plate, but a little soft. He didn't think too much of that comment. He was talking about how his arm was sore. So he must have practiced a little bit to get it across the plate. But he did a great job.

ZAHN: See what happens to some of your legislation down the road there, senator, after you said that.

LOTT: Let's see if we can get it across the plate, yes.

ZAHN: All right, Senator Lott, as always, good to see you. Thank you very much joining us this morning.

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