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America's New War: Attorney General John Ashcroft Holds Press Conference

Aired September 19, 2001 - 12:09   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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's got to Attorney General John Ashcroft.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

JOHN ASHCROFT, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: I think it would be far too early to indicate that this is some sort of major breakthrough in the case. But we are going to pursue every lead and we will prosecute every infraction. We will intensify efforts.

You know, yesterday I announced that in all U.S. attorney's offices across the nation there will be anti-terrorism task forces. It will be their responsibility to identify violators associated with these networks and with terrorist organizations, and any violation will be prosecuted.

QUESTION: Is there evidence that foreign governments may have provided support for those who carried out the hijackings and the attacks?

ASHCROFT: It's pretty clear that the networks that conduct these kinds of events are harbored and supported, sustained, protected by a variety of foreign governments.

ASHCROFT: And it's time for those governments to understand with crystal clarity that the United States of America will not tolerate that kind of support for networks that would inflict this kind of damage on the American people.

QUESTION: Does that include Iraq when you speak of nations that are harboring (inaudible)?

ASHCROFT: I think the statement speaks for itself.

QUESTION: Just one question on the immigration rule from yesterday, already raising concerns among civil rights groups. Are you already invoking the emergency clause of that order that would allow you to keep detainees indefinitely before they've been charged? Are you already invoking that?

ASHCROFT: When circumstances require us to use the full force and effect of the order, we will do so. I make no apology. I make no apology for being forceful in our enforcing the law and requiring adherence to the law. This investigation will pursue violators and use every tool available to us to curtail and prevent and disrupt any effort to further inflict this kind of damage on the United States or our citizens.

QUESTION: Mr. Ashcroft, yesterday you said you can't rule out that there may have been a fifth plane. Why can't you rule out and have you moved any farther in the investigation in terms of being able to conclude that there was another attack planned?

ASHCROFT: I would repeat today that we cannot rule out that there may have been additional aircraft targeted. We cannot rule that out. And that's the extent of the comment that I would make on that at this time.

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: The ACLU held a news conference today expressing concern about civil liberties in the package that you're going to propose. Can you assure people that privacy rights and civil libertarian rights won't be eroded?

ASHCROFT: I'm deeply concerned about the civil liberties of all Americans. I'm especially concerned about the civil liberties of Arab Americans and Middle Eastern Americans who are patriotic citizens, who lament and regret this loss perhaps as keenly or more keenly than any, and whose commitment to the strict enforcement and pursuit of these networks of terror that inflict this kind of injury is as strong as any.

ASHCROFT: We will conduct this effort to investigate and to prosecute with strict regard for every safeguard of the United States Constitution. But we will not fail to use any tool. We will not fail to use any tool that can promote the apprehension, the disruption of the networks that caused these damages and prevent a similar occurrence in the future.

ZAHN: And this concludes the attorney general's remarks to reporters, basically repeating a theme that Secretary Rumsfeld shared with us this morning, saying there a number of terrorist cells operating in a number of different countries, funded by foreign governments, which of course makes any potential military action very complicated indeed.

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