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CNN Sunday Morning
Minnesota Democrats Want Walter Mondale to Replace Wellstone
Aired October 27, 2002 - 11:07 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.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: As Minnesotans mourn the loss of their senior senator, Paul Wellstone, whose death just days before the election is forcing Democrats to find a new candidate. We learned this morning that Minnesota's Democratic Party wants Former Vice President Walter Mondale to replace Wellstone on the state Senate ballot. Sources say Wellstone's oldest son, David, has personally asked Mondale to take his father's place on the ballot. Let's go to CNN's Ed Lavandera now who is following the plane crash investigation.
Good morning, Ed.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi. Well, here in Eveleth, Minnesota, politics is not on the mind of the investigators who are at the crash site this morning trying to comb through the wreckage, trying to find anymore clues or evidence as to why the Senator's plane crashed on Friday morning. There's a team of investigators already out at the crash site. We also understand that about six family members will also be making their way out to the crash site this morning for a private memorial service. That's expected to happen here in the next couple of hours.
Now, investigators do not have the benefit in this case, in this investigation of a cockpit voice recorder. The King Air A-100 plane that was used in this flight was not equipped with that cockpit voice recorder. By law, it didn't have to be equipped with the voice recorder but unfortunately investigators won't be able to use that to try to figure out exactly what happened to this plane.
The weather conditions were -- there were reported snow showers, freezing rain in the area at the time of Friday morning's plane crash. Now, it took about a day to -- for investigators and crews to be able to reach the site, to be able to recover the bodies. But the bodies were removed Saturday and taken presumably to Minneapolis. So the investigative work here continues.
Now, also we've heard this morning, for the first time, from Senator Wellstone's Republican opponent, Norm Coleman. And as he said this morning, reiterating the thought that politics isn't on anyone's mind right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NORM COLEMAN, WELLSTONE'S OPPONENT: We all need time. There's so much talk going on right now in Washington about what's gone on. We just need time. I think Minnesota needs time and certainly the families of those who lost loved ones need time. There is an election that will be held on November 5 and I'm going to say this, it's just an election.
I went -- my wife and I have lost two children. I know what real -- and we know what real loss is and everything else is very relative after that. I went to work the day after the election, after getting beaten by Jesse Ventura because, you know, it was just an election.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAVANDERA: Now, the investigators, as we've mentioned, are at the crash site this morning. They'll continue to look. Some of the things they're looking at is the direction that the plane went in. It was supposed to have been heading from east to west, toward the landing strip at this small airport here in Eveleth, Minnesota. But the plane was not headed in that direction so they're trying to figure out what clues could be garnered from that as well. And also, investigators say that the engines appeared to be working fine at the time of the crash, again, just another one of the pieces of this mystery as to why this went down Friday morning -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes, it is a mystery at this point. No CVR and no flight data recorder either. I know yesterday they went up in the helicopters to look at the damage to the trees and angle of descent and all that. Is that going to be enough? Are investigators telling you that that's what they'll be looking at that in order to complete the investigation? And how long do you think they'll be there?
LAVANDERA: Well, the -- there is a 16-member team of investigators that is here on the ground and they will be here for probably another four to six days. It's hard to say just exactly how long. But they are also saying that it could take several weeks before they know for sure exactly why this plane crashed.
COLLINS: All right, Ed Lavandera, up in Eveleth, Minnesota for us today. Thanks, Ed.
Meanwhile, the Wellstone family reportedly plans a private funeral service early this week. A public memorial service has been set for Tuesday in Minnesota for Wellstone, his wife, daughter and three aids, all lost in that crash.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Wellstone>
Aired October 27, 2002 - 11:07 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: As Minnesotans mourn the loss of their senior senator, Paul Wellstone, whose death just days before the election is forcing Democrats to find a new candidate. We learned this morning that Minnesota's Democratic Party wants Former Vice President Walter Mondale to replace Wellstone on the state Senate ballot. Sources say Wellstone's oldest son, David, has personally asked Mondale to take his father's place on the ballot. Let's go to CNN's Ed Lavandera now who is following the plane crash investigation.
Good morning, Ed.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi. Well, here in Eveleth, Minnesota, politics is not on the mind of the investigators who are at the crash site this morning trying to comb through the wreckage, trying to find anymore clues or evidence as to why the Senator's plane crashed on Friday morning. There's a team of investigators already out at the crash site. We also understand that about six family members will also be making their way out to the crash site this morning for a private memorial service. That's expected to happen here in the next couple of hours.
Now, investigators do not have the benefit in this case, in this investigation of a cockpit voice recorder. The King Air A-100 plane that was used in this flight was not equipped with that cockpit voice recorder. By law, it didn't have to be equipped with the voice recorder but unfortunately investigators won't be able to use that to try to figure out exactly what happened to this plane.
The weather conditions were -- there were reported snow showers, freezing rain in the area at the time of Friday morning's plane crash. Now, it took about a day to -- for investigators and crews to be able to reach the site, to be able to recover the bodies. But the bodies were removed Saturday and taken presumably to Minneapolis. So the investigative work here continues.
Now, also we've heard this morning, for the first time, from Senator Wellstone's Republican opponent, Norm Coleman. And as he said this morning, reiterating the thought that politics isn't on anyone's mind right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NORM COLEMAN, WELLSTONE'S OPPONENT: We all need time. There's so much talk going on right now in Washington about what's gone on. We just need time. I think Minnesota needs time and certainly the families of those who lost loved ones need time. There is an election that will be held on November 5 and I'm going to say this, it's just an election.
I went -- my wife and I have lost two children. I know what real -- and we know what real loss is and everything else is very relative after that. I went to work the day after the election, after getting beaten by Jesse Ventura because, you know, it was just an election.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAVANDERA: Now, the investigators, as we've mentioned, are at the crash site this morning. They'll continue to look. Some of the things they're looking at is the direction that the plane went in. It was supposed to have been heading from east to west, toward the landing strip at this small airport here in Eveleth, Minnesota. But the plane was not headed in that direction so they're trying to figure out what clues could be garnered from that as well. And also, investigators say that the engines appeared to be working fine at the time of the crash, again, just another one of the pieces of this mystery as to why this went down Friday morning -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes, it is a mystery at this point. No CVR and no flight data recorder either. I know yesterday they went up in the helicopters to look at the damage to the trees and angle of descent and all that. Is that going to be enough? Are investigators telling you that that's what they'll be looking at that in order to complete the investigation? And how long do you think they'll be there?
LAVANDERA: Well, the -- there is a 16-member team of investigators that is here on the ground and they will be here for probably another four to six days. It's hard to say just exactly how long. But they are also saying that it could take several weeks before they know for sure exactly why this plane crashed.
COLLINS: All right, Ed Lavandera, up in Eveleth, Minnesota for us today. Thanks, Ed.
Meanwhile, the Wellstone family reportedly plans a private funeral service early this week. A public memorial service has been set for Tuesday in Minnesota for Wellstone, his wife, daughter and three aids, all lost in that crash.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Wellstone>
