ad info

 
CNN.comTranscripts
 
Editions | myCNN | Video | Audio | Headline News Brief | Feedback  

 

  Search
 
 

 

TOP STORIES

Bush signs order opening 'faith-based' charity office for business

Rescues continue 4 days after devastating India earthquake

DaimlerChrysler employees join rapidly swelling ranks of laid-off U.S. workers

Disney's GO.com is a goner

(MORE)

MARKETS
4:30pm ET, 4/16
144.70
8257.60
3.71
1394.72
10.90
879.91
 


WORLD

U.S.

POLITICS

LAW

TECHNOLOGY

ENTERTAINMENT

 
TRAVEL

ARTS & STYLE



(MORE HEADLINES)
 
CNN Websites
Networks image


Morning News

Election 2000: Bush Camp Hopes Gore's Florida Vote Challenge is Dismissed

Aired December 4, 2000 - 9:30 a.m. ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Right now we want to turn our attention back to Florida and the situation down there. The ruling we are expecting out of Leon County circuit court any minute actually has been delayed a little bit; but still a lot of news coming out of the sunshine state.

And for that we go back to Bill Hemmer in Tallahassee -- Bill.

BILL HEMMER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, thanks again.

It was about 11:00 local time, late into the night in which court did wrap up. Again, we're waiting for the judge to issue his ruling on the case that was brought before him on Saturday morning. We were just talking with Kendall Coffey, one of the democratic attorneys here in town.

And now it's time to talk with George Terwilliger, one of the Bush attorneys here in town.

Sir, good morning to you, it's good to see you again and we say, welcome back to CNN's MORNING NEWS knowing that you are waiting right now. I was just talking with Mr. Coffey about the same thing.

How does that feel, to wait as an attorney when you know so much is on the line?

GEORGE TERWILLIGER, BUSH CAMPAIGN ATTORNEY: Bill, you know, we always, I think, ask ourselves, did we do everything we could? Did we get all the points that we thought we needed to make across in the court? And we feel very, very good about that.

HEMMER: You went and argued yesterday a motion to dismiss which would be, if granted, an absolute slam-dunk for your side. Do you honestly believe, at this time, that that is a possibility, No. 1; and No. 2, what was the best case you made in order for the judge to agree with what you were arguing?

TERWILLIGER: Well, on the first question, Bill, certainly the judge could grant the motion to dismiss. We wouldn't have made it if we didn't think that it would lie. But we also suggested to the judge, in argument last night, that if he did see fit to act positively on the motion to dismiss that he also, alternatively, may want to enter a judgment on the merits of the case since he had already heard all of the evidence. And really that sort of unusual procedural posture is due to how the case was tried so rapidly and what not.

Usually you'd hear the motion to dismiss before the trial. Here, it was all put together. The best case for the motion to dismiss, over and above certain important technical and jurisdictional grounds -- but over and above that is that what the Gore team is really asking for here, the claim that they have made is for a remedy under the election law statute, which is a recount. Before the judge can reach that, the Gore team should plead and prove their entitlement to that remedy. You don't do remedy first, entitlement later.

HEMMER: Well the Democrats have been saying for two weeks and, again, they were pushing this point yesterday on Sunday -- they believe you have to get a definitive answer on this race in Florida because down the road, they believe, under the Freedom of Information Act, somebody can go into these ballots and determine, possibly, down the road that Al Gore did get more votes than George W. Bush. And if that's the case, and if Governor Bush is in the White House at that time, does that present the issue a potential cloudy presidency?

TERWILLIGER: That's a total red herring, Bill. Look, this whole thing comes down to a very simple proposition: what counts as a vote on these punch-out cards. In Florida, traditionally, there have been some loose standards that different boards, different county canvassing boards have used some differing standards.

It's very clear, now, what standards were used by the boards that certified the results that showed Dick Cheney and Governor George W. Bush to be the winners here. And the fact of the matter is that that's conclusive. If somebody wants to go back and say, well, you should have counted this dimple and you shouldn't have counted that dimple, that can go on forever; but it's really time for that to be over, both in terms of this legal contest and for historical purposes.

HEMMER: I want to move away from this case, shortly, to a case involving Seminole County and absentee ballots. I was just talking with Kendall Coffey about whether or not they would join that case. It was mentioned, both by the vice president last night and by Warren Christopher yesterday afternoon.

Knowing that there is a potential for a fight on that front, are you now asserting more legal teams in that direction to fight that battle?

TERWILLIGER: Well, we've been on top of that case and the new case that came after that. It's very interesting that there have been some press reports which, I'm sure, CNN has reported on that, in fact, someone associated with the Democratic Party and, in fact, in concert or contact with the Gore campaign is behind that lawsuit.

And that lawsuit, of course, seeks to exclude votes that, by any measure, were validly given on some alleged, technical violation of a rewriting of the number on a post-card ballot application. We just don't think that that's going to fly in court and we're sorely disappointed that they want to exclude what are obviously validly cast votes.

They say that out of one side while, on the other they're arguing to count additional votes.

HEMMER: All right, quickly, in the time we have left: any significance, from your estimation that we've been delayed, now, in this ruling from Judge Sauls?

TERWILLIGER: No great significance. I think that, you know, the whole nation saw a very careful, conscientious judge; and I think he's taking that same approach to writing his opinion in this case.

HEMMER: All right, we will sit and wait. George Terwilliger with the Bush team here in Tallahassee; again thanks for your time -- taking time to be with us this morning on a Monday morning; much appreciated.

TERWILLIGER: Thank you, Bill.

HEMMER: All right, we wait.

Once again back to Daryn in Atlanta. We'll let you know what we know down here in Tallahassee; but for now back to the CNN center.

KAGAN: Appreciate the effort; Bill, thank you very much.

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

 Search   


Back to the top  © 2001 Cable News Network. All Rights Reserved.
Terms under which this service is provided to you.
Read our privacy guidelines.