transcript Scotty McClellan today -- memogate

[grasswire]

SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECY.: Those questions need to be looked into fully, and we hope that that is what will happen.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Scott, do you believe that the Kerry campaign had anything to do with releasing these documents? You had stated that before, but the president said he didn't know.

MCCLELLAN: Well, actually what I said, it's -- in terms of the questions here, those are questions that need to be answered in terms of who is responsible for being the source of these documents -- the original source of these documents.

The one thing that is not in question is the timing of these recent attacks on the president. It is clear that there's been an orchestrated effort by Democrats and the Kerry campaign to tear down the president and use old recycled attacks. And that's what this is. It's just an old, recycled attack. In terms of the actual source of the documents, CBS has said that that may be something that they will address later, that they're looking into the matter. They've got an independent committee that's going to look into this.

But Bill Burkett, the source who gave them the document, was previously claimed to be an unimpeachable source by CBS. And in fact, he is not an unimpeachable source. He is someone who has been discredited in the past for telling things that simply were not true and someone who has had a lot of contacts and involvement with Democrats.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: But Scott, you don't dispute actually the contents of the documents themselves, the fact that when Lieutenant Bush was suspended from the Texas Air National Guard on August of 1972 that that did occur and it was connected to missing flight training?

MCCLELLAN: Actually, all those questions have been asked and answered in the previous campaign and in this campaign. It's been documented that the president fulfilled his obligations. That's why -- it's been documented that the president fulfilled his obligations, and that's why he was honorably discharged.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: So, it's not the contents of the documents that you're taking issue with. You're just saying the source of the documents...

MCCLELLAN: No, these -- all these questions -- I disagree with that. These questions have been asked and answered each and every campaign that the president has run. The president fulfilled his obligations. It's been documented, and that's why he was honorably discharged from the National Guard. And he's proud of his service in the Guard.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: When it first came out, the CBS report first came out, the White House did not challenge the documents at that time and, in fact, e-mailed them out to the entire White House Press Corps. Does the white house bear any responsibility for kind of perpetuating the false documents?

MCCLELLAN: No, actually it was part of our spirit of being open about these documents. We've operated in a spirit of openness about all the documents that we've receive. We wanted the public to have them. We want the media to have them. And the media was able to go and look at these documents themselves.

And since that time, we have seen a number of serious questions have been raised by experts and by media organizations. And now, finally CBS is acknowledging that the crux of their story was based on information that was likely forged and came from a discredited source.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: But the White House did not raise questions about the documents for days after the report, why...

MCCLELLAN: Actually, the questions started being raised pretty soon after the report aired -- within the next day. UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: But not by the White House.

MCCLELLAN: And we said that those are serious questions. They need to be looked into. We think they should be fully investigated, and there are a number of media organizations that already have been investigating this issue. It is a serious matter, and CBS itself said this raises serious and troubling questions. And we have been saying that for quite some time.

In terms of when we received the documents, they were given to us the very morning that a White House aide was going on the air, Dan Bartlett, to speak to CBS and respond to these question. Obviously in three hours' time, he doesn't have the ability to try and find out if the documents that supposedly came from a dead man were authentic.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Are you going to do your own investigation? Is the White House pursuing that?

MCCLELLAN: No, we are not. I don't think we have the ability to independently do that, but we appreciate the fact that a number of media organizations continue to look into this matter. We want the truth to come out. We want all these questions to be answered, because these are serious questions, and it's a serious matter that should be fully looked into.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Have you been contacted by anyone at CBS, Scott, and do they deserve -- does the president deserve an apology here by anyone?

MCCLELLAN: Well, I did see CBS's statement. They said that we deeply regret it. We appreciate the fact that CBS deeply regrets it. But there are still serious questions that we believe need to be answered, and we think they should be fully investigated.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: But should they apologize to the president?

MCCLELLAN: Well, obviously, there are a number of questions that need to be answered. We look forward to seeing the results of the investigations that other media organizations have undertaken and CBS says that they're now undertaking. And we appreciate the fact that they have said they deeply regret it, but we still want to see those questions answered.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: And Scott, just to be clear, the White House does not have any evidence linking the release of the forged documents to the Kerry campaign?

MCCLELLAN: Well, the timing is not in question, and the coordinated effort by the Democrats and the Kerry campaign to use these old, recycled attacks is not in question. That's been well documented by the media itself.

We've seen the Democratic National Committee create what they called Operation Fortunate Son. Operation Fortunate Son is initially an effort to use these old, recycled attacks to try to tear down the president.

The American people want to hear about the future. They would to know where the candidates stand on the critical issues, like the war on terrorism and the economy. The president is focused on how we lead going forward and the war on terrorism to make America safer. That's where this debate ought to be focus instead of these old, recycled attacks.

Operation Fortunate Son that the Democratic National Committee came up with for their orchestrated attack on the president is the name of a book, "Fortunate Son," that was written in the 2000 campaign by a convicted felon who was widely discredited after he came out with that book.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: And do you expect the results of the CBS internal independent investigation will, in fact, lay the matter to rest?

MCCLELLAN: Well, there are others that are looking into this matter, as well. There are a number of media organizations that are investigating the matter and trying to answer these serious questions that have been raised. We hope CBS will be able to look into it fully and investigate it fully and get to the bottom of it, as well. Because it is a serious matter, and it raises a lot of questions.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: There are some Republicans who suggest that CBS News, and Dan Rather in particular, had some sort of bent or a slant, that they were trying to slam the president. Do you believe that that is the case, or was it just simply a misjudgment?

MCCLELLAN: Well, look, today's announcement by CBS and their additional conversations with Mr. Burkett raise a number of serious questions. These are serious questions that are being raised. They need to be raised in terms of what contacts people had, what contacts did Mr. Burkett have with Democrats.

There are reports that he had senior-level contacts with members of the Kerry campaign. There are reports that he misled CBS on who the original source of the documents were. Those are serious questions.

Why did CBS rely on Bill Burkett, a previously discredited source, for this information? CBS said that he was an unimpeachable source. The fact is he is not an unimpeachable source. He is a discredited source from the past and someone who has been very involved with Democrats.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: So, Scott, it sounds like you're saying CBS wasn't -- they weren't misled. What would you call it?

MCCLELLAN: Again, these are serious questions that you are bringing up. They are questions that need to be looked into, and they need to be answered. We don't have the answers to those questions right now. We certainly hope that everybody that is looking into this will continue to pursue it and find out those answers. Because it is a troubling matter, as CBS said. UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: So, you're not suggesting that CBS is complicit in this kind of fraud?

MCCLELLAN: I don't know the answers to all these serious questions that have been raised. I have no reason to believe that at this point, but there are a number of serious questions that have been raised, and they need to be answered.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Any -- while we have you here, any other documents that know of?

MCCLELLAN: I'm sorry?

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Any more documents you know of, of his Guard service...

MCCLELLAN: No, no.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan, as you can see, responding for the first time to the CBS story on "60 Minutes II" regarding the fake documents criticizing President Bush's National Guard service.

Scott McClellan saying -- the question was asked if the Kerry campaign -- if he believes the Kerry campaign is the source of these documents. He says that is still in question. He went on to say but the timing is not in question of this story. He feels that this is an old, recycled attack on the president, it's coming up particularly during right before the election.

Also going on to say -- or asking about why CBS would rely on, what he says, a discredited source. Well, Dan Rather deciding to talk to our Larry King tomorrow, 9:00 Eastern. Probably a lot more -- number of those other questions will be answered tomorrow night.

"INSIDE POLITICS" up next. We'll see you tomorrow.

http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0409/20/lol.02.html

[TexasProgresive]

1. A new name for McClellan

Snotty McClellen.

[AmerDem]

2. McClellan is such a Barney Rubble