McVeigh Execution to Take Place Monday
DONNA KELLEY, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back. You just heard the interview with our justice correspondent Kelli Arena and the Attorney General John Ashcroft. Kelli joins us from our D.C. bureau, from Washington. Kelli, what is the attorney general going to be doing on the morning of the execution?</s>KELLI ARENA,CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Donna, interestingly enough he would not tell us where he will be Monday morning. Whether at his home in Missouri or here in Washington, D.C. He cited a variety of factors including security issues that prohibit him from telling us what his location will be. But he did say that wherever he is he will be fully capable of carrying out his responsibilities, Donna.</s>KELLEY: Does he have plans to watch the execution? Can he do that?</s>ARENA: Not from where he is. There are only several places to watch the execution. As you know, one in Oklahoma City, and there in the death chamber. It will not be taped, it will not be fed to any other location. So unless he's in Terre Haute or with the victims then he will not be able to see it.</s>KELLEY: Can you tell us, Kelli, a little bit more about the phone line that I was seeing that will be open then shortly before the execution happens, to the command center there at the Justice Department?</s>ARENA: Sure, the Justice Department command center is located in the building right behind me, at main justice. There will be an open line between the Department Of Justice and the prison facility in Terra Haute. That line will also be connected to the White House. The reason that that line is kept open just in case there's any last-minute legal developments, a possible plea for clemency by Timothy McVeigh to the president. The leader of the capital crimes unit here in D.C. will actually give the OK for the execution to proceed in Terra Haute. And Terra Haute cannot proceed unless they get that official word from the Justice Department here. Right after the word is administered then the chemicals will be administered to Timothy McVeigh, Donna.</s>KELLEY: Did he have any more comments to you , Kelli, about the late turning over of the 4,000-plus pages of the documents and about the FBI?</s>ARENA: He didn't, Donna. Justice, as you know, has contended all along that there was really nothing that they say in those documents that would have turned this trial in another direction. They feel that most of the information that was in those documents was information that Timothy McVeigh's defense team already had access to. As you know he did point that there were nine documents that the McVeigh team identified, about 20 pages or so that they said would have been helpful. But even those nine documents,Justice contends, was confirmation of information previously known. Now, of course, Donna, the media has not been granted access to those documents to look at them ourselves. They remain under protective seal by the court. We are just going by what, not only the government is saying -- the FBI is saying -- but also what Timothy McVeigh's defense lawyers are saying at least in terms of the documents that they were able to look at.</s>KELLEY: Kelli Arena, thanks very much.