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Bush Speaks on Justice Investigation
Aired September 30, 2003 - 15:32 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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: And we are waiting right now for President Bush. He's been doing political some fund-raising, of course, in Chicago. He attended a $2,000 per plate event, believe it or not, with 1,800 guests in Chicago. And then he is going to be headed to Cincinnati for another fund-raiser. We're going to listen in to what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Yes. Let me just say something about leaks in Washington. There are too many leaks of classified information in Washington. There's leaks at the executive branch, there's leaks in the legislative branch, there's just too many leaks. I want -- and if there's a leak out of the administration, I want to know who it is. And if a person has violated law, the person will be taken care of.
And so I welcome the investigation. I am absolutely confident the Justice Department will do a very good job. There's a special division of career Justice Department officials who are tasked with doing this kind of work. They have done this kind of work before in Washington this year.
I have told our administration -- people in my administration to be fully cooperative. I want to know the truth.
And if anybody's got any information inside our administration or outside our administration it would be helpful if they came forward with the information, so we can find out whether or not these allegations are true and get on about the business.
QUESTION: Yesterday we were told that Karl Rove had no role in it. Have you talked to Karl? And do you have confidence in him?
BUSH: Listen, I know nobody -- I don't know of anybody in my administration who leaked classified information. If somebody did leak classified information, I'd like to know it. And we'll take the appropriate action. And this investigation is a good thing.
And again I repeat, you know, Washington is a town where there's all kind of allegations. You've heard much of the allegations.
And if people have got solid information please come forward with it. And that would be people inside the information who are the so- called anonymous sources or people outside the information, outside the administration. And we could clarify this thing very quickly if people who have got solid evidence would come forward and speak out. And I would hope they would. And then we'll get to the bottom of this and move on.
But I want to tell you something: Leaks of classified information are bad things, and we've had them. There's too much leaking in Washington. That's just the way it is. And we've had leaks out of the administrative branch, we've had leaks out of the legislative branch, out of the executive branch and the legislative branch, and I've spoken out consistently against them, and I want to know who the leakers are.
Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: The president of the United States addressing reporters there in Chicago after a fund-raising event. Of course, giving his full support to a criminal investigation now taking place on behalf of the Justice Department into that leak on a CIA operative, a leak that some are saying came out of the White House.
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 September 30, 2003 - 15:32 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: And we are waiting right now for President Bush. He's been doing political some fund-raising, of course, in Chicago. He attended a $2,000 per plate event, believe it or not, with 1,800 guests in Chicago. And then he is going to be headed to Cincinnati for another fund-raiser. We're going to listen in to what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Yes. Let me just say something about leaks in Washington. There are too many leaks of classified information in Washington. There's leaks at the executive branch, there's leaks in the legislative branch, there's just too many leaks. I want -- and if there's a leak out of the administration, I want to know who it is. And if a person has violated law, the person will be taken care of.
And so I welcome the investigation. I am absolutely confident the Justice Department will do a very good job. There's a special division of career Justice Department officials who are tasked with doing this kind of work. They have done this kind of work before in Washington this year.
I have told our administration -- people in my administration to be fully cooperative. I want to know the truth.
And if anybody's got any information inside our administration or outside our administration it would be helpful if they came forward with the information, so we can find out whether or not these allegations are true and get on about the business.
QUESTION: Yesterday we were told that Karl Rove had no role in it. Have you talked to Karl? And do you have confidence in him?
BUSH: Listen, I know nobody -- I don't know of anybody in my administration who leaked classified information. If somebody did leak classified information, I'd like to know it. And we'll take the appropriate action. And this investigation is a good thing.
And again I repeat, you know, Washington is a town where there's all kind of allegations. You've heard much of the allegations.
And if people have got solid information please come forward with it. And that would be people inside the information who are the so- called anonymous sources or people outside the information, outside the administration. And we could clarify this thing very quickly if people who have got solid evidence would come forward and speak out. And I would hope they would. And then we'll get to the bottom of this and move on.
But I want to tell you something: Leaks of classified information are bad things, and we've had them. There's too much leaking in Washington. That's just the way it is. And we've had leaks out of the administrative branch, we've had leaks out of the legislative branch, out of the executive branch and the legislative branch, and I've spoken out consistently against them, and I want to know who the leakers are.
Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: The president of the United States addressing reporters there in Chicago after a fund-raising event. Of course, giving his full support to a criminal investigation now taking place on behalf of the Justice Department into that leak on a CIA operative, a leak that some are saying came out of the White House.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
