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CNN Sunday Morning

Bush to Return to White House

Aired December 09, 2001 - 10:14   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.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: The U.S.-led war on terror remains topic number one for President Bush. The president is returning to the White House from Camp David. He is expected to do that around midday.

CNN's Kelly Wallace who's at the White House -- Kelly.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well Marty, as the president returns to the White House later today his administration facing a decision about whether to release a new videotape it has obtained of Osama bin Laden. The videotape offering the most direct evidence that bin Laden was involved in the planning or had advance knowledge of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Now according to this tape, which U.S. officials obtained during a search of a private home in Jalalabad, bin Laden apparently was at a dinner at the time he received word of a plane hitting the North Tower of the World Trade Center -- at that point, bin Laden indicates that more is coming. Then, according to the videotape, bin Laden is claimed to have -- say that the collapse of the World Trade Center much more than he had expected.

Now earlier this morning Vice President Dick Cheney appeared on a Sunday morning talk show. He says that he has seen portions of that tape and he says it is another piece of the evidence showing bin Laden's capability in the September 11 attack.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: First of all, it's in Arabic, so I have to rely on what somebody tells me he is saying. It shows him being interviewed or meeting with another individual, apparently a cleric talking about the events of September 11 and it's pretty clear as it's described to me that he does, in fact, display significant knowledge of what happened, and there's no doubt about his responsibility for the attack on September 11. Now, we've known that all along. There's been some dispute in some corners about it, but this is one more piece of evidence confirming his responsibility.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: And Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, appearing on CNN's "LATE EDITION," is saying that U.S. officials definitely had evidence up until this point linking bin Laden to the attacks, but this tape really offering 100 percent certainty that bin Laden is to blame.

Now the big question becomes why wouldn't the U.S. administration not release this tape. U.S. officials so far have been reluctant to release any evidence they say they have linking bin Laden to the planning or to carrying out these attacks, often citing intelligence concerns. So Marty, a big question becomes if the administration has the tape, why not release it, because certainly a big struggle that this White House has faced over the past couple of months has been convincing some skeptical Arab and Muslim allies that yes in fact bin Laden and his al Qaeda operatives are to blame.

There may be some concern, Marty, that if the United States is the source of the release of this tape, that could post some concerns from skeptics in the Arab and Muslim world. But again, a debate in the White House now about what to do with this tape.

Marty, back to you.

SAVIDGE: Well I'm a little confused on that Kelly. I mean why would you be suspicious if you see it right before your very eyes? Is there some belief that this could have been manipulated by the U.S. in the Muslim world?

WALLACE: Well there -- you know you heard the vice president saying interestingly enough on that Sunday show today say it is not for him to release the tape. I mean number one it is an amateur tape, we understand. Number two, it is in Arabic. Number three, the U.S. officials did apparently obtain it searching a private home in Jalalabad.

I'm not clear if there are some questions about how it was obtained, but it just appears some sensitivity that we've seen on the part of the Bush White House along. You know, it was the British Prime Minister Tony Blair who was the one releasing a so-called white paper, documenting some evidence linking al Qaeda to the September 11 attacks, not the Bush White House.

It was the prime minister talking about another videotape last month, not the Bush White House. So there does appear to be some sensitivity on the part of the Bush administration as being the source of release of this information in part maybe because this uphill battle trying to convince some skeptics in the Arab and Muslim world. But we'll be following this and see what we find out -- Marty.

SAVIDGE: We will too. We'll be waiting to see the tape. Kelly Wallace at the White House. Thanks very much.

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