Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live Today
President Bush Nominates Michael Chertoff
Aired January 11, 2005 - 10:00 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.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN CO-ANCHOR: Let's head right down to Daryn Kagan and Tony Harris there at the CNN Center to take you through the next few hours.
Good morning, guys.
TONY HARRIS, CNN CO-ANCHOR: Good morning.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN CO-ANCHOR: Good morning to both you. We are starting off with a busy one, indeed. You guys have a great day in New York City. We'll go ahead and get started.
So Michael Chertoff, a name that most people are saying who?
HARRIS: Who is Michael Chertoff?
KAGAN: But he will be one of the better known names very soon. We're standing by, once again. President Bush is expected to announce in the next minute or so he will nominate Michael Chertoff to be the next head of the Homeland Security Department.
HARRIS: And here's what we do know so far, Daryn, as Jeanne was just talking about just talking about just a moment ago, he is a former prosecutor who helped craft the early techniques and strategies on the war on terror and helped to form some of the policies, and some of thinking after the September 11 attacks.
KAGAN: Our Jeanne Meserve standing by, our Homeland Security correspondent.
Jeanne, we're not the only ones saying who. Apparently some in the community are saying the same thing.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: That's exactly right. I was just mentioning that I talked to a Homeland Security official deeply involved in this issue since prior to 9/11. He had no idea who Michael Chertoff was. He pointed out that Homeland Security is about a lot more than law enforcement; it's about any number of different sorts of disciplines. And it also involves governor, it involves mayors, it involves a whole panoply of local players.
This individual says that Michael Chertoff will step into this job not knowing any of those players, not having any familiarity. This individual telling me that Michael Chertoff has not been involved in any of the discussions about Homeland Security that have been involved all the stakeholders in this particular. So that one official expressing to me some surprise, some disappointment saying that there were a number of other individuals who he felt were more qualified to be holding this post. That said, he also added that it's quite possible that Michael Chertoff will step into this job and do it something magnificent, and be hailed as someone very capable.
I also spoke to a Republican source on Capitol Hill. They were considerably more optimistic. They felt that Chertoff might, in fact, be a good pick for this job, that it showed somebody who had a real knowledge of law enforcement experience. And somebody who knows Washington is going to know how to play here.
Both of the individuals I had a chance to talk to this morning a little bit concerned that Michael Chertoff is not someone who apparently has any management experience on his resume. He has been a lawyer. He is stepping into a position where he's going to manage 180 employees, a department that has been beset by a number of management problems. The feeling since Tom Ridge announced that he was leaving was that the department had to bring in somebody who is going to able to bring people to heal here and move the department forward.
Will Mike at Chertoff be able to do that? Apparently the president thinks so. KAGAN: Well, let's listen in.
(INSERT BUSH SPEECH)
KAGAN: And so there you have it. President Bush nominating Federal Appeals Court Judge Michael Chertoff to be his next Homeland Defense secretary. This following another nomination, another choice, Bernie Kerik. Let's bring our Jeanne Meserve in.
Jeanne, a lot of people not looking at Michael Chertoff, but If you look at his background, it looks solid in terms of no questions. All the questions that popped up about Bernie Kerik, it looks like the president went in an entirely different direction.
MESERVE: Yes. Well, one thing that the president said that I picked up immediately was this individual has been confirmed by the Senate three times. So clearly, he expects that he will have an easy time of it this time around.
You're right. Bernie Kerik, a debacle, a man who was nominated by the White House, and then it turned out had a considerable number of questionable things in his background that had apparent not raised red flags during the vetting process. And some questioned why.
And while this ceremony has been going on, I've been trying to sample a little bit more opinion about this individual. I did reach one Homeland Security expert who called Chertoff "a desperation pick." This individual believed that the White House looked at any number of people before settling on Chertoff, says that although he knows one aspect of this. He knows the law enforcement aspect of security. He does not have the big picture that might be necessary to start up this job. He does say he is very smart, no doubt about it. His resume shows that he graduated magna cum laude from Harvard and also from Harvard Law School. But he says his public persona is not particularly warm. That's been considered one of the great attributes of Tom Ridge, that in times of crisis, he's been able to come forward and talk to the American people and be very reassuring in his public manner.
Of course, Michael Chertoff, we're just getting the very first reaction to this. Some people saying this is a good pick, this is a guy who knows Washington. He does know the law enforcement piece of this. But there will be questions about the part he has played in the war on terror, particularly when he was part of John Ashcroft's Justice Department, and had something to do with the arrest of about 1,000 individuals in the wake of September 11. People who were held without charges being brought against them -- Daryn.
KAGAN: All right. Jeanne Meserve, we'll cut you loose there so you can do more reporting. And we'll bring you back in just minute.
Right now, here's Tony.
HARRIS: It just seems very interesting that some are characterizing him as a desperation pick. It is too important a job, it seems. And I guess everyone would agree with that, to settle on any kind of a desperation pick. This man, Michael Chertoff, we're going to be asking a lot of questions about him all afternoon long, or all morning long.
Let's bring in Kathleen Koch also in Washington.
And Kathleen, give us a sense of what you are hearing. What are you learning about this man?
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Tony, one thing we are learning though, is really that this was very much a surprise, at least to members of the media. I haven't really had a chance yet to talk to anyone behind the scenes here at the White House.
But we were looking at so many different names, including names right here on the White House staff. Fran Townsend who is one, assistant to the president, Homeland Security adviser. To him names there at the Department of Homeland Security like, Asa Hutchinson, the current under secretary for Border and Transportation Security. Lots of names that had been floated and that everyone was much more familiar with, and indeed, that people thought were much more likely.
But this is indeed a surprise pick. But as you heard the president used some very strong words when referring to Michael Chertoff this morning, calling him "a talented, experienced public servant," praising his stellar career, saying he was "a strong, effective leader a skilled manager, a brilliant thinker," someone who he characterized as "a strong and decent man." And I think that Jeanne really did hit the nail on the head, with noting the one line that the president did stress, that he's been confirmed by the U.S. Senate three times. The president clearly wanted to avoid any kind of confirmation battle here. And obviously with that prior confirmation record, one assumes he has no complications in his past as Bernard Kerik did.
HARRIS: And Kathleen, you don't submit this name up for nomination to go before the Senate for confirmation, unless you believe this man can do the job. And it is a very difficult job. As Jeanne was talking about just a moment ago, 180,000 employees.
But one wondering, it feels like a very management heavy job. And it looks on the surface at least that his background mostly is in policy setting. KOCH: Certainly, but I think that obviously President Bush believes that when it comes to managing a department of this size that if Mr. Chertoff does obviously select deputies that has that kind of experience, and as long as he agrees with the president on these very important policy issues, that the administrative side of the job can be easily handled.
HARRIS: Yes. That makes sense. Kathleen, we appreciate it.
KOCH: You bet.
KAGAN: All right. This comes on the same day and the same hour that we also expected from the current Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge. We'll have live coverage of the news conference that Secretary Ridge will be holding along with other federal and local officials. They're talking about inauguration security. You're going to see that later this morning here at 11:30 a.m. Eastern, 8:30 a.m. Pacific.
Also a reminder for you to stay tuned to CNN day and night for your most reliable news about your security.
We also expect to hear from the president later in this hour. Plus a lot of news from California. That's all ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Once again, our developing story out of Washington, D.C., President Bush, you saw it live just a few minutes ago right here on CNN, announcing that he has a new nominee for Homeland Security secretary. The man is a Federal Appeals Court Judge Michael Chertoff. A man that a lot of people haven't heard of. He worked in the Justice Department in the criminal division, headed that up from 2001 to 2003 under John Ashcroft. And has been a federal appeals court judge in New Jersey for the last couple of years.
President Bush making the announcement and saying why he has picked Michael Chertoff for the job.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Mike is a talented and experienced public servant. In his stellar career, he has been a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. He's been an assistant attorney general of the United States. He's been the U.S. attorney for New Jersey, a federal prosecutor in New York City, and a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice William Brennan. He's been confirmed by the Senate three times.
In all of his roles, Mike has shown a deep commitment to the cause of justice and an unwavering determination to protect the American people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: And so there you hear President Bush explaining why he has picked Michael Chertoff to be his Homeland Security secretary. One of the key phrases there saying that he's been confirmed by the Senate three times. Of course, the president makes his pick, but the pick must be confirmed still by the Senate.
We have tracked down John King. He's in Banda Aceh, Indonesia; our senior White House correspondent to get him to comment on what many are saying is a surprising pick. Because an accomplished man the judge is, and yet a man of rather narrow experience when you are looking at the job of the scope of Homeland Security secretary.
JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I can tell you, Daryn, it is a complete shock to the people of Indonesia.
(LAUGHTER)
KING: More seriously, I have made some calls back to Washington about this. It is no question it is a surprise choice back in Washington. I just spoke a short time ago to a senior Republican staffer on Capitol Hill, who said, "Yes, this is a compromise choice." His words "a compromise choice." But he also describes Chertoff as a White House guy, the clear implication being that this is a person who would be loyal to the United States. And that it would be the White House setting that policy. Mike Chertoff's job to implement the policy the White House.
And as Jeanne Meserve noted early in program, the question that will be raised is what experience does he have when it comes to the Coast Guard? When it comes to the Secret Service? When it comes to port security? Many of the other issues that face the Department of Homeland Security.
This Republican staffer on Capitol Hill noting though, that one of the key issues next year in the Congress will be immigration and the whole issue and controversy about immigration reform. And in that area, Mike Chertoff does have considerable experience from his days at the Justice Department and his days on the federal bench.
One administration official I talked to said that this was a strong man, someone who has the trust of the president. And this official also saying it was someone President Bush trusted at this time. And as again as Jeanne said earlier in the program, he is a safe choice; someone they believe has nothing in his background that could delay Senate confirmation at all. There of course, will be some tough questions. And one of the interesting sub-plots to watch in the days ahead is on Chertoff's resume. He was the Senate Republican counsel during the Whitewater investigation. First lady of the United States at the time was Hillary Rodham Clinton. She did not always have good relations with that investigation. It was prickly at times her relations with that investigation going on in the United States of President Clinton, Hillary Clinton and their personal finances.
At the time, though, as President Bush noted Mike Chertoff was known to have pretty good relations with Democrats and Republicans. But Hillary Rodham Clinton now a senator from the state of New York, and a leading voice on the issue of Homeland Security -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Well, that could set up for some interesting conversations as we move forward. John, your phone calls, you're able to make from Indonesia back to Washington, you're hearing that Judge Chertoff is a compromise pick. How important to this White House not to repeat the debacle of the Bernie Kerik nomination. A rare slipup for what is a very careful White House in making selections?
KING: A rare slipup. And it came at a terrible time for the president. He won a second term. He won with 51 percent of the vote. They made a big deal out of the fact that he thought not only did he have a clear majority, but they thought he had a clear mandate as well. And what they hoped to use was the period from the election to the inauguration and the State of the Union, to build his approval rating back up above 50 percent, even higher, because he has very controversial issues on the second term agenda. And he wanted to get his public standing up.
And the polls show, our polling show quite clear that the whole Bernie Kerik nomination and the decline of that nomination, the withdraw of that, the president's poll numbers slumped at a time they traditional go up for a president who wins re-election. So this president is trying to get on the firmest possible political footing. Starting next week, the inauguration just a little more than a week away, the president wants to be on the firmest possible political footing.
This is another clear signal from the White House that they've learned a lesson from the Bernie Kerik nomination. And they want choices that will be confirmed by the Senate. They want the headlines to be about the president's second-term agenda, not about his nominees.
KAGAN: Well, John, as you standby there in Indonesia, we also heard from the judge as he was talking about, perhaps even addressing critics that he doesn't appreciate the scope and the size of this job. He addressed that very point in comments from the White House. Let's listen in to that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL CHERTOFF, HOMELAND SECURITY SECY. NOMINEE: If confirmed, it will be my privilege to serve with the thousands of men and women who stand watch across the country and overseas, protecting our security and promoting our freedom.
On September 11, 2001, I joined members of dozens of federal agencies in responding to the deadliest single attack on American civilians ever. In the weeks and months that followed, we all worked under your direction to prevent further despicable acts of terror. If confirmed as secretary, I will be proud to stand again with the men and women who form our front line against terror.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: John, I think one of the things that's going to be interesting, as the discussion and debate goes on about this selection, is this divided country; what some people see as strength and others see as a restriction on civil liberties. So there you have Judge Chertoff talking about something that he's proud of that he did in the wake of 9/11, where some of his critics will say that they're concerned about that's how he plans to carry out his job.
KING: And that criticism certainly will continue. And again, that will be a clear avenue of inquiry when the Democrats get their shot at Mike Chertoff's Senate confirmation hearings. But again, remember during the campaign, that whole debate over civil liberties was embodied in the so-called Patriot Act, the anti-terror law that President Bush and John Ashcroft pushed through the Congress after 9/11. The president mentioned it every day. So at the White House, they say the American people re-elected a president in part because he espoused continued support for those policies. But there is no question they'll be a point of interest, a point inquiry for the Democrats.
One other quick point, Daryn. This is certainly a reflection as evidenced by the president of the emphasis on law enforcement at the Department of Homeland Security. And the administration official I spoke to in part said remember, we still need to name a new director of National Intelligence. That new position will become more and more the focal point for the debate about what about al Qaeda, how to wage war against terrorism overseas, whether it will be Al Qaeda or other suspected terrorists.
So in a sense, the Homeland Security Department created after 9/11 had a bit of a foreign policy role, if you will, or at least a spokesman role in that whole issue after 9/11. With the new director of National Intelligence, another pick we are still waiting to have from the president, with that new position created, a much more domestic focus for the Department of Homeland Security without question.
KAGAN: John King, our senior White House correspondent right now on assignment in Indonesia. John, you can run but you can't hide.
(LAUGHTER)
KAGAN: When there's breaking news, we will track you down, and we will find you. Thank you so much for that.
You heard John talking about this new position that has been created, the NID, the National Intelligence Director. We're going to have a chance to talk about that and how it plays in with the Homeland Defense Department, a little bit with Elaine Shannon. She is of course, a correspondent for "Time" magazine. That's coming up in just a bit -- Tony.
HARRIS: And also this morning, outgoing Homeland Security Chief Tom Ridge will hold a news conference. Next hour, he'll discuss the extraordinary measures, and we do mean extraordinary measures surrounding next week's presidential inauguration.
CNN correspondent Sumi Das (ph) is in Washington with a preview -- Sumi.
SUMI DAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thank you. Bleachers are starting to be assembled in front of the Capitol Building, but planning actually began over eight months ago. This is a national special security event with the Secret Service overseeing security for the inauguration. But there are many different government agencies involved at the federal, state and local level.
Behind me you might be able to see the mobile command centers that will be used next Thursday. They belong to various groups, the U.S. Army, the Department of Homeland Security, the United States Park Police. The United States Capitol Police is also one of the agencies involved. And earlier this morning, on "AMERICAN MORNING," U.S. Capitol Police Chief Terrance Gainer spoke to Bill Hemmer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TERRANCE GAINER, U.S. CAPITOL POLICE CHIEF: There will be a lot more officers involved now than four years ago, but not substantially more than were involved in the last State of the Union Address or President Reagan's funeral. There have been technological improvements, intelligence sharing. But the work we've done together over the years really has prepared us for this day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DAS: Over 4,000 officers will be on the ground in the subway system, even aboard boats and in the air on Inauguration Day. And on Inauguration Day, the No-Fly Zone will be tripled. Currently it covers an area with a 16-mile radius around Washington Monument. For eight hours beginning at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Inaugural Day, it will be expanded to cover the area serving the three D.C. airports with a 23-mile radius. Now that FAA restriction will not affect scheduled passenger or cargo flights.
Now, in about an hour and 15 minutes, the press conference with the chairman of the Inaugural Committee, the D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams and Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge will begin. At that time, we'll learn more about the security measures that will be put into place next Thursday -- Tony.
HARRIS: Sumi, thank you.
We'll bring you live coverage of that news conference with Homeland Security Chief Tom Ridge and other federal and local officials. That's coming up in just about an hour, at 11:30 Eastern, 8:30 pacific.
KAGAN: Meanwhile, we want to throw in this nugget of what Americans are thinking out there. New numbers from the CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll. The question about asking Americans what are the chances, do you think, that there will be acts of terrorism in the U.S. over the next several weeks?
As you can see there, likely: 39 percent say they do believe. And not likely: 59 percent. That in the wake of the news that President Bush has nominated his choice, his newest choice for Homeland Security chief. We will have more on that just ahead.
Also with all this developing news, have not even had a chance to get to California yet. A lot of news with the weather, with the mudslides and up and down the West Coast there. We'll be getting to that.
HARRIS: And just another reminder. Stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: And we're coming up on the half hour. Good morning once again, I'm Daryn Kagan.
HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris. Here is what's happening now in the news.
A moment ago, President Bush tapped Michael Chertoff to be Homeland secretary. Chertoff is a federal appeals court judge. He's served as assistant attorney general in the Justice Department's criminal division. Chertoff would succeed outgoing Secretary Tom Ridge. His nomination would have to be approved by the Senate.
Four British citizens who have been detained at Guantanamo Bay will be returned to Britain. The move is expected within the next few weeks. British officials will then decide whether to arrest them on terrorism charges. The four are the last of nine British detainees who have been held at the U.S. base on Cuba.
The search continues for one of the people aboard this emergency medical helicopter that crashed south of Washington. One person was killed and one rescued after the helicopter plunged into the Potomac River late last night. The cause is still under investigation.
In less than three hours, former presidential candidate Howard Dean is expected to announce his bid to become the Democratic Party's top man. Dean will first tell members of the Democratic National Committee before publicly announcing his bid for the chairmanship. He says the post is not another stepping-stone for a presidential campaign.
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 January 11, 2005 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN CO-ANCHOR: Let's head right down to Daryn Kagan and Tony Harris there at the CNN Center to take you through the next few hours.
Good morning, guys.
TONY HARRIS, CNN CO-ANCHOR: Good morning.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN CO-ANCHOR: Good morning to both you. We are starting off with a busy one, indeed. You guys have a great day in New York City. We'll go ahead and get started.
So Michael Chertoff, a name that most people are saying who?
HARRIS: Who is Michael Chertoff?
KAGAN: But he will be one of the better known names very soon. We're standing by, once again. President Bush is expected to announce in the next minute or so he will nominate Michael Chertoff to be the next head of the Homeland Security Department.
HARRIS: And here's what we do know so far, Daryn, as Jeanne was just talking about just talking about just a moment ago, he is a former prosecutor who helped craft the early techniques and strategies on the war on terror and helped to form some of the policies, and some of thinking after the September 11 attacks.
KAGAN: Our Jeanne Meserve standing by, our Homeland Security correspondent.
Jeanne, we're not the only ones saying who. Apparently some in the community are saying the same thing.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: That's exactly right. I was just mentioning that I talked to a Homeland Security official deeply involved in this issue since prior to 9/11. He had no idea who Michael Chertoff was. He pointed out that Homeland Security is about a lot more than law enforcement; it's about any number of different sorts of disciplines. And it also involves governor, it involves mayors, it involves a whole panoply of local players.
This individual says that Michael Chertoff will step into this job not knowing any of those players, not having any familiarity. This individual telling me that Michael Chertoff has not been involved in any of the discussions about Homeland Security that have been involved all the stakeholders in this particular. So that one official expressing to me some surprise, some disappointment saying that there were a number of other individuals who he felt were more qualified to be holding this post. That said, he also added that it's quite possible that Michael Chertoff will step into this job and do it something magnificent, and be hailed as someone very capable.
I also spoke to a Republican source on Capitol Hill. They were considerably more optimistic. They felt that Chertoff might, in fact, be a good pick for this job, that it showed somebody who had a real knowledge of law enforcement experience. And somebody who knows Washington is going to know how to play here.
Both of the individuals I had a chance to talk to this morning a little bit concerned that Michael Chertoff is not someone who apparently has any management experience on his resume. He has been a lawyer. He is stepping into a position where he's going to manage 180 employees, a department that has been beset by a number of management problems. The feeling since Tom Ridge announced that he was leaving was that the department had to bring in somebody who is going to able to bring people to heal here and move the department forward.
Will Mike at Chertoff be able to do that? Apparently the president thinks so. KAGAN: Well, let's listen in.
(INSERT BUSH SPEECH)
KAGAN: And so there you have it. President Bush nominating Federal Appeals Court Judge Michael Chertoff to be his next Homeland Defense secretary. This following another nomination, another choice, Bernie Kerik. Let's bring our Jeanne Meserve in.
Jeanne, a lot of people not looking at Michael Chertoff, but If you look at his background, it looks solid in terms of no questions. All the questions that popped up about Bernie Kerik, it looks like the president went in an entirely different direction.
MESERVE: Yes. Well, one thing that the president said that I picked up immediately was this individual has been confirmed by the Senate three times. So clearly, he expects that he will have an easy time of it this time around.
You're right. Bernie Kerik, a debacle, a man who was nominated by the White House, and then it turned out had a considerable number of questionable things in his background that had apparent not raised red flags during the vetting process. And some questioned why.
And while this ceremony has been going on, I've been trying to sample a little bit more opinion about this individual. I did reach one Homeland Security expert who called Chertoff "a desperation pick." This individual believed that the White House looked at any number of people before settling on Chertoff, says that although he knows one aspect of this. He knows the law enforcement aspect of security. He does not have the big picture that might be necessary to start up this job. He does say he is very smart, no doubt about it. His resume shows that he graduated magna cum laude from Harvard and also from Harvard Law School. But he says his public persona is not particularly warm. That's been considered one of the great attributes of Tom Ridge, that in times of crisis, he's been able to come forward and talk to the American people and be very reassuring in his public manner.
Of course, Michael Chertoff, we're just getting the very first reaction to this. Some people saying this is a good pick, this is a guy who knows Washington. He does know the law enforcement piece of this. But there will be questions about the part he has played in the war on terror, particularly when he was part of John Ashcroft's Justice Department, and had something to do with the arrest of about 1,000 individuals in the wake of September 11. People who were held without charges being brought against them -- Daryn.
KAGAN: All right. Jeanne Meserve, we'll cut you loose there so you can do more reporting. And we'll bring you back in just minute.
Right now, here's Tony.
HARRIS: It just seems very interesting that some are characterizing him as a desperation pick. It is too important a job, it seems. And I guess everyone would agree with that, to settle on any kind of a desperation pick. This man, Michael Chertoff, we're going to be asking a lot of questions about him all afternoon long, or all morning long.
Let's bring in Kathleen Koch also in Washington.
And Kathleen, give us a sense of what you are hearing. What are you learning about this man?
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Tony, one thing we are learning though, is really that this was very much a surprise, at least to members of the media. I haven't really had a chance yet to talk to anyone behind the scenes here at the White House.
But we were looking at so many different names, including names right here on the White House staff. Fran Townsend who is one, assistant to the president, Homeland Security adviser. To him names there at the Department of Homeland Security like, Asa Hutchinson, the current under secretary for Border and Transportation Security. Lots of names that had been floated and that everyone was much more familiar with, and indeed, that people thought were much more likely.
But this is indeed a surprise pick. But as you heard the president used some very strong words when referring to Michael Chertoff this morning, calling him "a talented, experienced public servant," praising his stellar career, saying he was "a strong, effective leader a skilled manager, a brilliant thinker," someone who he characterized as "a strong and decent man." And I think that Jeanne really did hit the nail on the head, with noting the one line that the president did stress, that he's been confirmed by the U.S. Senate three times. The president clearly wanted to avoid any kind of confirmation battle here. And obviously with that prior confirmation record, one assumes he has no complications in his past as Bernard Kerik did.
HARRIS: And Kathleen, you don't submit this name up for nomination to go before the Senate for confirmation, unless you believe this man can do the job. And it is a very difficult job. As Jeanne was talking about just a moment ago, 180,000 employees.
But one wondering, it feels like a very management heavy job. And it looks on the surface at least that his background mostly is in policy setting. KOCH: Certainly, but I think that obviously President Bush believes that when it comes to managing a department of this size that if Mr. Chertoff does obviously select deputies that has that kind of experience, and as long as he agrees with the president on these very important policy issues, that the administrative side of the job can be easily handled.
HARRIS: Yes. That makes sense. Kathleen, we appreciate it.
KOCH: You bet.
KAGAN: All right. This comes on the same day and the same hour that we also expected from the current Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge. We'll have live coverage of the news conference that Secretary Ridge will be holding along with other federal and local officials. They're talking about inauguration security. You're going to see that later this morning here at 11:30 a.m. Eastern, 8:30 a.m. Pacific.
Also a reminder for you to stay tuned to CNN day and night for your most reliable news about your security.
We also expect to hear from the president later in this hour. Plus a lot of news from California. That's all ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Once again, our developing story out of Washington, D.C., President Bush, you saw it live just a few minutes ago right here on CNN, announcing that he has a new nominee for Homeland Security secretary. The man is a Federal Appeals Court Judge Michael Chertoff. A man that a lot of people haven't heard of. He worked in the Justice Department in the criminal division, headed that up from 2001 to 2003 under John Ashcroft. And has been a federal appeals court judge in New Jersey for the last couple of years.
President Bush making the announcement and saying why he has picked Michael Chertoff for the job.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Mike is a talented and experienced public servant. In his stellar career, he has been a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. He's been an assistant attorney general of the United States. He's been the U.S. attorney for New Jersey, a federal prosecutor in New York City, and a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice William Brennan. He's been confirmed by the Senate three times.
In all of his roles, Mike has shown a deep commitment to the cause of justice and an unwavering determination to protect the American people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: And so there you hear President Bush explaining why he has picked Michael Chertoff to be his Homeland Security secretary. One of the key phrases there saying that he's been confirmed by the Senate three times. Of course, the president makes his pick, but the pick must be confirmed still by the Senate.
We have tracked down John King. He's in Banda Aceh, Indonesia; our senior White House correspondent to get him to comment on what many are saying is a surprising pick. Because an accomplished man the judge is, and yet a man of rather narrow experience when you are looking at the job of the scope of Homeland Security secretary.
JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I can tell you, Daryn, it is a complete shock to the people of Indonesia.
(LAUGHTER)
KING: More seriously, I have made some calls back to Washington about this. It is no question it is a surprise choice back in Washington. I just spoke a short time ago to a senior Republican staffer on Capitol Hill, who said, "Yes, this is a compromise choice." His words "a compromise choice." But he also describes Chertoff as a White House guy, the clear implication being that this is a person who would be loyal to the United States. And that it would be the White House setting that policy. Mike Chertoff's job to implement the policy the White House.
And as Jeanne Meserve noted early in program, the question that will be raised is what experience does he have when it comes to the Coast Guard? When it comes to the Secret Service? When it comes to port security? Many of the other issues that face the Department of Homeland Security.
This Republican staffer on Capitol Hill noting though, that one of the key issues next year in the Congress will be immigration and the whole issue and controversy about immigration reform. And in that area, Mike Chertoff does have considerable experience from his days at the Justice Department and his days on the federal bench.
One administration official I talked to said that this was a strong man, someone who has the trust of the president. And this official also saying it was someone President Bush trusted at this time. And as again as Jeanne said earlier in the program, he is a safe choice; someone they believe has nothing in his background that could delay Senate confirmation at all. There of course, will be some tough questions. And one of the interesting sub-plots to watch in the days ahead is on Chertoff's resume. He was the Senate Republican counsel during the Whitewater investigation. First lady of the United States at the time was Hillary Rodham Clinton. She did not always have good relations with that investigation. It was prickly at times her relations with that investigation going on in the United States of President Clinton, Hillary Clinton and their personal finances.
At the time, though, as President Bush noted Mike Chertoff was known to have pretty good relations with Democrats and Republicans. But Hillary Rodham Clinton now a senator from the state of New York, and a leading voice on the issue of Homeland Security -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Well, that could set up for some interesting conversations as we move forward. John, your phone calls, you're able to make from Indonesia back to Washington, you're hearing that Judge Chertoff is a compromise pick. How important to this White House not to repeat the debacle of the Bernie Kerik nomination. A rare slipup for what is a very careful White House in making selections?
KING: A rare slipup. And it came at a terrible time for the president. He won a second term. He won with 51 percent of the vote. They made a big deal out of the fact that he thought not only did he have a clear majority, but they thought he had a clear mandate as well. And what they hoped to use was the period from the election to the inauguration and the State of the Union, to build his approval rating back up above 50 percent, even higher, because he has very controversial issues on the second term agenda. And he wanted to get his public standing up.
And the polls show, our polling show quite clear that the whole Bernie Kerik nomination and the decline of that nomination, the withdraw of that, the president's poll numbers slumped at a time they traditional go up for a president who wins re-election. So this president is trying to get on the firmest possible political footing. Starting next week, the inauguration just a little more than a week away, the president wants to be on the firmest possible political footing.
This is another clear signal from the White House that they've learned a lesson from the Bernie Kerik nomination. And they want choices that will be confirmed by the Senate. They want the headlines to be about the president's second-term agenda, not about his nominees.
KAGAN: Well, John, as you standby there in Indonesia, we also heard from the judge as he was talking about, perhaps even addressing critics that he doesn't appreciate the scope and the size of this job. He addressed that very point in comments from the White House. Let's listen in to that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL CHERTOFF, HOMELAND SECURITY SECY. NOMINEE: If confirmed, it will be my privilege to serve with the thousands of men and women who stand watch across the country and overseas, protecting our security and promoting our freedom.
On September 11, 2001, I joined members of dozens of federal agencies in responding to the deadliest single attack on American civilians ever. In the weeks and months that followed, we all worked under your direction to prevent further despicable acts of terror. If confirmed as secretary, I will be proud to stand again with the men and women who form our front line against terror.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: John, I think one of the things that's going to be interesting, as the discussion and debate goes on about this selection, is this divided country; what some people see as strength and others see as a restriction on civil liberties. So there you have Judge Chertoff talking about something that he's proud of that he did in the wake of 9/11, where some of his critics will say that they're concerned about that's how he plans to carry out his job.
KING: And that criticism certainly will continue. And again, that will be a clear avenue of inquiry when the Democrats get their shot at Mike Chertoff's Senate confirmation hearings. But again, remember during the campaign, that whole debate over civil liberties was embodied in the so-called Patriot Act, the anti-terror law that President Bush and John Ashcroft pushed through the Congress after 9/11. The president mentioned it every day. So at the White House, they say the American people re-elected a president in part because he espoused continued support for those policies. But there is no question they'll be a point of interest, a point inquiry for the Democrats.
One other quick point, Daryn. This is certainly a reflection as evidenced by the president of the emphasis on law enforcement at the Department of Homeland Security. And the administration official I spoke to in part said remember, we still need to name a new director of National Intelligence. That new position will become more and more the focal point for the debate about what about al Qaeda, how to wage war against terrorism overseas, whether it will be Al Qaeda or other suspected terrorists.
So in a sense, the Homeland Security Department created after 9/11 had a bit of a foreign policy role, if you will, or at least a spokesman role in that whole issue after 9/11. With the new director of National Intelligence, another pick we are still waiting to have from the president, with that new position created, a much more domestic focus for the Department of Homeland Security without question.
KAGAN: John King, our senior White House correspondent right now on assignment in Indonesia. John, you can run but you can't hide.
(LAUGHTER)
KAGAN: When there's breaking news, we will track you down, and we will find you. Thank you so much for that.
You heard John talking about this new position that has been created, the NID, the National Intelligence Director. We're going to have a chance to talk about that and how it plays in with the Homeland Defense Department, a little bit with Elaine Shannon. She is of course, a correspondent for "Time" magazine. That's coming up in just a bit -- Tony.
HARRIS: And also this morning, outgoing Homeland Security Chief Tom Ridge will hold a news conference. Next hour, he'll discuss the extraordinary measures, and we do mean extraordinary measures surrounding next week's presidential inauguration.
CNN correspondent Sumi Das (ph) is in Washington with a preview -- Sumi.
SUMI DAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thank you. Bleachers are starting to be assembled in front of the Capitol Building, but planning actually began over eight months ago. This is a national special security event with the Secret Service overseeing security for the inauguration. But there are many different government agencies involved at the federal, state and local level.
Behind me you might be able to see the mobile command centers that will be used next Thursday. They belong to various groups, the U.S. Army, the Department of Homeland Security, the United States Park Police. The United States Capitol Police is also one of the agencies involved. And earlier this morning, on "AMERICAN MORNING," U.S. Capitol Police Chief Terrance Gainer spoke to Bill Hemmer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TERRANCE GAINER, U.S. CAPITOL POLICE CHIEF: There will be a lot more officers involved now than four years ago, but not substantially more than were involved in the last State of the Union Address or President Reagan's funeral. There have been technological improvements, intelligence sharing. But the work we've done together over the years really has prepared us for this day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DAS: Over 4,000 officers will be on the ground in the subway system, even aboard boats and in the air on Inauguration Day. And on Inauguration Day, the No-Fly Zone will be tripled. Currently it covers an area with a 16-mile radius around Washington Monument. For eight hours beginning at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Inaugural Day, it will be expanded to cover the area serving the three D.C. airports with a 23-mile radius. Now that FAA restriction will not affect scheduled passenger or cargo flights.
Now, in about an hour and 15 minutes, the press conference with the chairman of the Inaugural Committee, the D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams and Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge will begin. At that time, we'll learn more about the security measures that will be put into place next Thursday -- Tony.
HARRIS: Sumi, thank you.
We'll bring you live coverage of that news conference with Homeland Security Chief Tom Ridge and other federal and local officials. That's coming up in just about an hour, at 11:30 Eastern, 8:30 pacific.
KAGAN: Meanwhile, we want to throw in this nugget of what Americans are thinking out there. New numbers from the CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll. The question about asking Americans what are the chances, do you think, that there will be acts of terrorism in the U.S. over the next several weeks?
As you can see there, likely: 39 percent say they do believe. And not likely: 59 percent. That in the wake of the news that President Bush has nominated his choice, his newest choice for Homeland Security chief. We will have more on that just ahead.
Also with all this developing news, have not even had a chance to get to California yet. A lot of news with the weather, with the mudslides and up and down the West Coast there. We'll be getting to that.
HARRIS: And just another reminder. Stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: And we're coming up on the half hour. Good morning once again, I'm Daryn Kagan.
HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris. Here is what's happening now in the news.
A moment ago, President Bush tapped Michael Chertoff to be Homeland secretary. Chertoff is a federal appeals court judge. He's served as assistant attorney general in the Justice Department's criminal division. Chertoff would succeed outgoing Secretary Tom Ridge. His nomination would have to be approved by the Senate.
Four British citizens who have been detained at Guantanamo Bay will be returned to Britain. The move is expected within the next few weeks. British officials will then decide whether to arrest them on terrorism charges. The four are the last of nine British detainees who have been held at the U.S. base on Cuba.
The search continues for one of the people aboard this emergency medical helicopter that crashed south of Washington. One person was killed and one rescued after the helicopter plunged into the Potomac River late last night. The cause is still under investigation.
In less than three hours, former presidential candidate Howard Dean is expected to announce his bid to become the Democratic Party's top man. Dean will first tell members of the Democratic National Committee before publicly announcing his bid for the chairmanship. He says the post is not another stepping-stone for a presidential campaign.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
