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American Morning

Democratic Drumbeat Growing Louder for Special Counsel to Investigate Leak

Aired October 01, 2003 - 08:05   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.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: This morning the Democratic drumbeat growing louder for a special counsel to investigate the leak of a CIA operative's identity. The president says the Justice Department will be just fine getting to the bottom of it on its own. But Congressional Democrats don't see it that way.
John King live from the White House with more on this still developing story -- John, good morning.

JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Bill.

Big legal questions and also a swirling and intensifying political debate. Everyone who works here at the Bush White House has now received two memos from the president's counsel, Alberto Gonzalez. The latest one last night told them any records going back to February 2002 that mention Ambassador Joseph Wilson, his wife, who the whole world now knows is an undercover CIA operative, any contacts with news media about them, White House staffers being told they must not destroy those records, whether they are phone logs, e-mails, handwritten diary notes. They must be the preserved for Justice Department investigators.

All that is part of an effort here at the White House. The president says he doesn't know if anyone in his administration broke the law, but he wants to know the truth and he's telling his aides they should fully cooperate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: But there is a chorus of criticism, mostly from Democrats, some on Capitol Hill, also out on the presidential campaign trail. They say if the president cared so much about this, he would have spoken out publicly back two months ago when the leak first occurred. They also question whether Attorney General John Ashcroft can conduct a fair and impartial investigation. Ashcroft says this is being handled by career prosecutors. Democrats say that's not good enough for them. They want an independent, outside special counsel. Among those criticizing this president and the administration, Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), MASSACHUSETTS, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: President Bush's father called those who exposed the names of national security sources traitors. And this President Bush needs to start going after any traitors in his midst, and that means more than an inside once over from his friend and Karl Rove's client, John Ashcroft.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: That reference at the end there a reference that Karl Rove once working for a John Ashcroft Senate campaign back in 1994. Karl Rove has denied any involvement in this at all. But Ambassador Joe Wilson, whose wife is that CIA operative, he thinks, he believes Karl Rove, at a minimum, condoned the leaks here at the White House. The investigation is just getting under way. For now, the Justice Department says it will be handled by career prosecutors and career FBI agents. They have not totally slammed the door shut on seeking a special counsel down the road if something in the investigation emerges that leads the attorney general to believe that perhaps he might have a conflict of interest -- Bill.

HEMMER: So, John, you had these comments from the president yesterday. This is an issue that may or may not continue to nag the White House. While you've got the economy out there sputtering a bit and you have Iraq in the daily headlines.

What's the strategy right now on behalf of the White House to make sure that this does not continue to nag on a daily basis?

KING: Well, they can't determine the pace of the investigation and they cannot, of course, control the Democratic criticism. So they are responding on two fronts. Number one, they thought it was critical to get the president out there publicly saying he will cooperate. He's ordered his aides to cooperate. They believe that is critical, to show the public face that you are cooperating with the investigation.

They're also -- and this is very interesting -- taking a book, perhaps, out of the Bill Clinton playbook, launching a political counter-offensive. Allies of this White House saying Joe Wilson is a Democrat. He has given money to Democratic presidential candidates. He has given speeches critical of the president at Democratic events. They're trying to make this all politics.

That is the strategy Bill Clinton used in the past when he was under fire. The Democrats, Bill, are saying so what if Joe Wilson is a Democrat, that still does not give anybody the right to break the law and expose his wife's identity.

HEMMER: John, thanks.

John King, our senior White House correspondent, from the front lawn this morning.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com




Investigate Leak>


Aired October 1, 2003 - 08:05   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: This morning the Democratic drumbeat growing louder for a special counsel to investigate the leak of a CIA operative's identity. The president says the Justice Department will be just fine getting to the bottom of it on its own. But Congressional Democrats don't see it that way.
John King live from the White House with more on this still developing story -- John, good morning.

JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Bill.

Big legal questions and also a swirling and intensifying political debate. Everyone who works here at the Bush White House has now received two memos from the president's counsel, Alberto Gonzalez. The latest one last night told them any records going back to February 2002 that mention Ambassador Joseph Wilson, his wife, who the whole world now knows is an undercover CIA operative, any contacts with news media about them, White House staffers being told they must not destroy those records, whether they are phone logs, e-mails, handwritten diary notes. They must be the preserved for Justice Department investigators.

All that is part of an effort here at the White House. The president says he doesn't know if anyone in his administration broke the law, but he wants to know the truth and he's telling his aides they should fully cooperate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: But there is a chorus of criticism, mostly from Democrats, some on Capitol Hill, also out on the presidential campaign trail. They say if the president cared so much about this, he would have spoken out publicly back two months ago when the leak first occurred. They also question whether Attorney General John Ashcroft can conduct a fair and impartial investigation. Ashcroft says this is being handled by career prosecutors. Democrats say that's not good enough for them. They want an independent, outside special counsel. Among those criticizing this president and the administration, Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), MASSACHUSETTS, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: President Bush's father called those who exposed the names of national security sources traitors. And this President Bush needs to start going after any traitors in his midst, and that means more than an inside once over from his friend and Karl Rove's client, John Ashcroft.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: That reference at the end there a reference that Karl Rove once working for a John Ashcroft Senate campaign back in 1994. Karl Rove has denied any involvement in this at all. But Ambassador Joe Wilson, whose wife is that CIA operative, he thinks, he believes Karl Rove, at a minimum, condoned the leaks here at the White House. The investigation is just getting under way. For now, the Justice Department says it will be handled by career prosecutors and career FBI agents. They have not totally slammed the door shut on seeking a special counsel down the road if something in the investigation emerges that leads the attorney general to believe that perhaps he might have a conflict of interest -- Bill.

HEMMER: So, John, you had these comments from the president yesterday. This is an issue that may or may not continue to nag the White House. While you've got the economy out there sputtering a bit and you have Iraq in the daily headlines.

What's the strategy right now on behalf of the White House to make sure that this does not continue to nag on a daily basis?

KING: Well, they can't determine the pace of the investigation and they cannot, of course, control the Democratic criticism. So they are responding on two fronts. Number one, they thought it was critical to get the president out there publicly saying he will cooperate. He's ordered his aides to cooperate. They believe that is critical, to show the public face that you are cooperating with the investigation.

They're also -- and this is very interesting -- taking a book, perhaps, out of the Bill Clinton playbook, launching a political counter-offensive. Allies of this White House saying Joe Wilson is a Democrat. He has given money to Democratic presidential candidates. He has given speeches critical of the president at Democratic events. They're trying to make this all politics.

That is the strategy Bill Clinton used in the past when he was under fire. The Democrats, Bill, are saying so what if Joe Wilson is a Democrat, that still does not give anybody the right to break the law and expose his wife's identity.

HEMMER: John, thanks.

John King, our senior White House correspondent, from the front lawn this morning.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com




Investigate Leak>