McVeigh Allows Clemency Deadline to Pass
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: First, news out of Oklahoma City. Convicted bomber Timothy McVeigh has decided not to go for a presidential pardon, asking for clemency. And it looks like his execution date has been set. With more on that, here's Susan Candiotti. Hi, Susan.</s>SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Daryn. Just about an hour ago, Timothy McVeigh was scheduled to make a phone call to one of his attorneys, Rob Nigh, who's located in Oklahoma. McVeigh making that phone call from his prison cell in Indiana. And in about a half an hour from now, we will learn firsthand from that attorney, Rob Nigh, exactly what his client, Timothy McVeigh, had to say. We do know this: We do know from federal law enforcement authorities that Timothy McVeigh missed his and passed his midnight deadline that he had where he could apply for clemency directly to President Bush. He had until midnight to do so. McVeigh had retained that option when he told a federal judge late in December that he was not going to pursue additional appeals, but he still had this option available to him. And apparently he did not file, according to law enforcement authorities, any paperwork in that regard. Now, this appears to clear the legal path for McVeigh's scheduled execution on May 16 at the federal prison where he is being housed in Terre Haute, Indiana. This is where the only federal death chamber is located. He would be executed by lethal injection. And it would be the first time that the federal death sentence would be carried out since 1963. Now, at the Bureau of Prisons, they are currently considering whether to carry out a closed-circuit telecast of the execution to allow Oklahoma City bomb victims and their relatives to watch the execution, presumably using the same kind of procedure that they did with a closed-circuit telecast to watch the trial that was held for Timothy McVeigh and co-conspirator Terry Nichols from those two trials that were held in Denver. So, again, we are waiting to hear in about a half an hour from now a statement from Timothy McVeigh's attorneys as to what he had to say, as to why he decided to pass up this clemency petition. Back to you, Daryn.</s>KAGAN: Susan Candiotti, thank you very much. And you mentioned that news conference at the bottom of the hour, 12:30 p.m. Eastern. When we hear that statement from Timothy McVeigh's attorney, you will see that live here on CNN.