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White House Press Briefing: Aug 26« Thread Started on Sept 1

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White House Press Briefing: Aug 26« Thread Started on Sept 1, 2004, 9:39pm » --------------------------------------------------------------------------------For Immediate ReleaseOffice of the Press SecretaryAugust 26, 2004 Press Gaggle by Scott McClellan Aboard Air Force OneEn Route Las Cruces, New Mexico President’s Schedule U.S Olympic Committee Swift Boat Ads/Campaign 8:22 A.M. MDT MR. McCLELLAN: Good morning. The President had his briefing on board the airplane. He just participated in an interview with USA Today. And we are headed to Las Cruces and Farmington and Albuquerque, where he'll have rallies today, talking about -- continuing to focus on his agenda for moving America forward and building a safer world and more hopeful America, as we head to the -- he'll continue to focus more on his agenda as we head into the convention. And with that, I'm here for questions. Q Scott, the U.S. Olympic Committee has asked that the campaign pull the victory ad, because it mentions the Olympics, and they have copyright to those things. Any remarks -- MR. McCLELLAN: The campaign has already addressed that issue, and I'll leave it with the campaign, since it's relating to campaign ads. Q They just asked yesterday, again, after reviewing it -- MR. McCLELLAN: I know. The campaign has addressed the issue. Q McCain says he's fed up with these Swift Boat ads. Is the President willing to go any further than what he said the other day? MR. McCLELLAN: Actually, thank you for bringing that up. The President, also, on board Air Force One, called Senator McCain this morning. And the President said he wanted to work together to pursue court action to shut down all the ads and activity by these shadowy 527 groups. And the President said if the court action doesn't work, then he would be willing to pursue legislative action and work with Senator McCain on that. Q Which groups does he want to shut down? MR. McCLELLAN: It's all the unregulated soft money activity by these 527 groups. The President thought we got rid of all of this kind of shadowy activity when he signed the campaign finance reforms into law. As you're aware, there was FEC action that has been pursued by Senator McCain, that has been pursued by us, as well. And the FEC has not acted on it. And so the President reached out to Senator McCain to say, let's work together and pursue court action to shut down all of this activity by these shadowy groups. Link to Post - Back to Top 64.180.161.172 botAdministratormember is offline Joined: Nov 2004Posts: 4,324Re: White House Press Briefing: Aug 26« Reply #1 on Sept 1, 2004, 9:40pm » --------------------------------------------------------------------------------Q That includes the Swift Boats -- Q -- specific condemnation of the Swift Boat. Q -- Swift Boat ones. He said, he's happy that -- he condemns all 527s -- MR. McCLELLAN: The President condemns all the ads and activity by these shadowy groups. This is unregulated soft money activity that the President thought we got rid of when he signed the campaign finance reforms into law. Senator McCain said that he thought it was a good idea for the two of them to work together to shut down this kind of activity. Q So this includes the Swift Boat, right? You want to shut down -- Bush wants to shut down, through legal action -- MR. McCLELLAN: All, all the ads and activity by the shadowy groups. That would include everything that these shadowy groups are involved in. Q You don't want to say "Swift Boat," is that the -- MR. McCLELLAN: I think I answered it by saying, all of the ads and activity. Q And that would include the Swift Boat, yes? MR. McCLELLAN: That includes everything. That includes -- I don't know how I can be more clear than that, Adam. Q Are the Swift Boats a shadowy group? Q But McCain said beyond that -- he called the President to condemn those specific ads. Will he condemn those -- MR. McCLELLAN: The President has condemned every ad and all the activity by these 527 groups. Q How does he feel about what they're saying? MR. McCLELLAN: I don't think I can be more clear, nor can the President. The President wants Senator Kerry to join us in calling for a stop to all of the ads and activity by these shadowy groups. The President has condemned all of this activity by these shadowy groups. Q What does he mean by court action? MR. McCLELLAN: Well, pursue -- pursuing court action, working with -- and pursuing court action to shut down these -- shut down this activity by these 527 groups that are funded with unregulated soft money. This is what we thought we got rid of when the President signed the campaign finance reforms into law. And so -- Q So who files -- who files the lawsuit, then? MR. McCLELLAN: Well, and I'll try to get you a little bit more information on this, but there's -- there have been previous complaints filed against the FEC. The FEC had an opportunity to act with, I think it's within a 100-day -- 120-day period. They did not act. And so that allows those who had filed those complaints to pursue action against the FEC. I know Senator McCain had filed complaints with the FEC; we had, as well. And so the President looks forward to working with Senator McCain to pursue court action to shut down all of this activity by these shadowy groups. Q So is the Justice Department going to get involved in this? Q He would be the one who be going to the -- MR. McCLELLAN: He called them this morning, and we'll provide you more detail as we move forward and work together, through court action, to shut these groups down. Q So you are asking Justice to get involved, then? MR. McCLELLAN: Again, we'll get you more details as we move forward together. But we want to pursue court action. Q How long was the phone call? MR. McCLELLAN: I'm sorry? Q How long was the phone call? MR. McCLELLAN: I will try to get you the length. It was brief. And Senator McCain said he looked forward to seeing him soon. We certainly appreciate Senator McCain's strong support for the President, and look forward to hearing his remarks next week at the convention, as well. Q -- the charge -- MR. McCLELLAN: Yes. Q Can you tell me what the legal basis would be for taking court action? MR. McCLELLAN: Well, yes, that's why I said, if you go back, you might want to look at some of this. I'll try and get you more details on the ground. But because of the complaints -- the complaints have been pursued with the FEC, and there's a window of opportunity for the FEC to pursue action. They failed to pursue that action then. You can pursue court action following that if they don't act within that time period. Q Okay. MR. McCLELLAN: Okay, thank you. Q Is it a lawsuit? MR. McCLELLAN: Yes. Yes, it would be. Q But none of it would happen until after the election, correct? I mean, the FEC -- MR. McCLELLAN: There would be a lawsuit. Q But the FEC can't act on this stuff until after the election. MR. McCLELLAN: No, there have been complaints previously filed with the FEC that they did not act on to shut -- to shut down this activity. We've got to land. Thank you. * * * * * MR. McCLELLAN: We would be asking the court to force the FEC to shut down this activity. Q Force the FEC? MR. McCLELLAN: Yes. It would be asking the courts to -- yes, since the FEC failed to act, we would now be asking the courts to force the FEC to act to shut down these -- shut down all this activity. Q It's not directly -- so the case is not directly against the 527s, it's against the FEC. MR. McCLELLAN: It's going to the courts to ask them to force the FEC to shut down all this activity. END 8:30 A.M. MDT -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- White House Press Briefing: Aug 30« Thread Started on Sept 1, 2004, 9:44pm » --------------------------------------------------------------------------------For Immediate ReleaseOffice of the Press SecretaryAugust 30, 2004 Press Gaggle by Scott McclellanAboard Air Force OneEn Route Manchester, New Hampshire 11:55 A.M. EDT MR. McCLELLAN: Let's see, the President had his usual briefings this morning. Then he participated in some speech preparation in the Theater, over in the Residence. So he's continuing to work through his remarks and do some teleprompter practice, as he gets ready for Thursday night's address. When we land in Manchester, and we get to the event, the President is going to participate in a brief interview, about 10 minutes, with WMUR-TV in New Hampshire. And then he'll participate in the "Ask President Bush" event. The participants at the "Ask President Bush" event will include a first responder from New Hampshire, it will include a mother of a National Guardsman in Iraq, and then there will be a person that is involved in helping with education initiatives. So it will kind of be an example of the values of America. Then following that, we go to Michigan, where in Taylor, Michigan, the President will make remarks at a rally. And then we overnight in Dearborn. And that's what I've got for his schedule for today. So I'm here for questions. Q Scott, do you know whether -- what his schedule might be for New York during the day yet, or is that too far ahead to discuss? MR. McCLELLAN: Yes, I know, and yes, it's too far ahead to discuss. Q Scott, do you guys want to expand on -- MR. McCLELLAN: You've got to stay tuned for a few things. There always need to be a few surprises. Q Do you want to expand at all on the President's comments this morning on the "Today Show," about the war on terror? MR. McCLELLAN: What about them? Q He said -- I'm paraphrasing here -- he said that it, specifically, could not be won, but you could make conditions safer for Americans. MR. McCLELLAN: Well, he was talking about winning it in the conventional sense. That's what he was talking about. I mean, this -- you've often heard him talk about how this is a different kind of war. We face an unconventional enemy. And it's -- I don't think you can expect that there will ever be a formal surrender or a treaty signed, like we have in wars past. That's what he was talking about, when he was talking about that. It requires a generational commitment to win this war on terrorism. I think you heard him talk about his two-prong strategy, that we must continue to stay on the offensive and bring the terrorists to justice before they harm us. We also must work to advance freedom to defeat the ideologies of hatred and tyranny. So that's what he was talking about. You can't put a time frame on it, per se. Q Can you tip us off on any new rhetoric about Kerry, in terms of tailoring it to these audiences; New Hampshire, and then Michigan? MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think you can expect this week there might be some new language, as we get closer to his address on Thursday night. The President -- let me talk about Thursday's remarks. On Thursday, the President will talk about his robust agenda for the future. It will be very much a forward-looking speech. It's based on his hopeful and optimistic vision for America. I think you've heard the theme of the convention, that -- "Fulfilling America's Promise by Building a Safer World and a More Hopeful" -- "Fulfilling our Promise by Building a Safer World and More Hopeful America." And so that's kind of the broad theme. And tonight, obviously we're going to be hearing from Senator McCain and Mayor Giuliani. You have a senator who is a hero to us all, and then a mayor who has shown great strength and conviction in his leadership. Q My question was really about today. MR. McCLELLAN: Well, today I think you'll hear him talk -- continue to talk about his clear and positive plan for where he wants to lead the country and what his beliefs are, as we get closer to his speech on Thursday. Q He had an attack in Miami, tailored to the Cuban community; yesterday in West Virginia, tailored to coal. Anything specific to New Hampshire? MR. McCLELLAN: Again, as we begin the convention and as we get closer to the President's remarks, I think you can continue to expect that he'll focus very much on the future, and his agenda for the next four years. Obviously, there will be some contrast on the issues -- that's what elections are about. But he's very much focusing on the future. Q Can I ask you, too -- The Times had an interesting piece yesterday about the President's involvement in his own campaign. When you say each morning, the President has regular briefings, can we assume henceforth that includes a Karl Rove briefing? MR. McCLELLAN: "Henceforth," what do you mean? Karl Rove is a senior advisor, so he's involved in briefings with him on a daily basis. Q We can assume that -- MR. McCLELLAN: That doesn't mean -- that doesn't mean it's just on the campaign. I mean, he's a senior advisor, including his main political advisor. But the President obviously stays involved in his campaign. Q The Times said Rove gives him a campaign briefing each morning, that's my question. MR. McCLELLAN: He talks to -- yes, he talks to Karl all the time, throughout the day. Q Is that one of the morning briefings that you describe? MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think it's -- there might be -- it might be part of his usual briefings that he has. On a daily basis, is what you're referring to. Anything else? Q Did the President watch his daughters last night on MTV? MR. McCLELLAN: Actually, I forgot to ask him this morning. Let me check and find out. But he's certainly very proud of them, and is pleased to have them helping out on the campaign. Q Has time been -- MR. McCLELLAN: We'll, I guess, hear more from them soon. Q Scott, has time been carved out of the schedule for the President to watch any specific events over the next few days? MR. McCLELLAN: Let me check and try to update you on that. I mean, obviously, he'll want to watch what he can. And like I said, he appreciates Senator McCain and Mayor Giuliani addressing the delegates tonight. Q But is he planning to actually watch either of those or any of the others specifically? MR. McCLELLAN: Let me check. I mean, I'm sure -- obviously, depending on his schedule. I'm sure he will try to catch some of it, but let me double-check with him, and try to keep you posted as we go through the next couple of days, too. Q Scott, when Senator Kerry does local television interviews at his campaign stops, he puts a pool reporter in there. Are you willing to do that? MR. McCLELLAN: For his local TV interviews? Let me consider it, but it's not something we've done in the past. But, obviously, you're going to hear the interview later in the day. Q Will you check on that for today, please? MR. McCLELLAN: I'll see what I can do. Okay, thanks. END 12:02 P.M. EDT