NASCAR Reveals Dale Earnhardt's Seatbelt Was Broken; Pardon Controversy Expands
WOLF BLITZER, HOST: Tonight, could a broken seatbelt have caused the death of Dale Earnhardt?</s>GARY NELSON, NASCAR DIRECTOR OF COMPETITION: This piece ended up on the floor of the car, and this piece was still connected to the roll cage.</s>BLITZER: As Earnhardt's family and fellow drivers try to move on, we'll have the latest. More allegations in the Clinton pardons controversy: Did four swindlers have their sentences commuted in exchange for votes? And what role did Bill Clinton's brother play in the overall pardons process? We'll have a live update. And in part two of my special interview with Lynne Cheney, the wife of the vice president will discuss the Clinton pardons, the Bush administration and her husband's health. Good evening. I'm Wolf Blitzer, reporting tonight from Washington. In a high performance race car, there are many things that can go wrong. But one thing you don't expect to have a problem with -- the seatbelt. Today, a surprising development from</s>NASCAR: a seatbelt failure may have played a role in the death of racing legend Dale Earnhardt, and that's our top story. For the latest, let's go live to CNN's "Sports Illustrated's" John Giannone. He's at the North Carolina motor speedway in Rockingham. John, tell us what's going on.</s>JOHN GIANNONE, CNNSI: Well, Wolf, after four days of grief and disbelief, NASCAR drivers returned to work on Friday here in Rockingham. Busch series drivers practiced. Winston Cup drivers arrived on the scene, and of course, so much of the conversation surrounded the aftermath of Dale Earnhardt's death. But it was a morning press conference held by NASCAR officials that truly sent shockwaves through an already shell-shocked community.</s>GIANNONE (voice-over): It was a revelation that compounded the shock, still reverberating through auto racing: news on Friday that the seatbelt in Dale Earnhardt's 3-month-old car was broken. The thick nylon strap separated in two pieces near the lower-left clip, a finding, officials say, has never happened in the NASCAR's 52-year history.</s>NELSON: The fabric between the buckle part and the adjuster part is where it broke. Right in the area where my index finger is, right here.</s>DR. STEVEN BOHANNON, HALIFAX MEDICAL CENTER: Certainly, no one can say for sure what would have happened if his restraint system, his belts had held. He would have had a much better chance of survival.</s>GIANNONE: Drivers and crews who arrived in Rockingham for this week's race were notified of the findings. They then tried to return to a therapeutic routine, all the while realizing that this week, that will be an enormous task.</s>KENNY WALLACE, NASCAR WINSTON CUP DRIVER: To not be at the track would be different. To be at home with your family, which means everything to you -- you can't talk to your family about seatbelts and restraints and things of the car, so this is the place to be.</s>GIANNONE: Earnhardt's racing namesake also will forge ahead, albeit with a heartache that remains unspeakable.</s>DALE EARNHARDT JR: I miss my father, and I've cried for him, but out of my own selfish pity -- is the reason for those emotions. And I just try to maintain a good focus for the future and just remember that he's in a better place.</s>GIANNONE: Now, Earnhardt's team owner, Richard Childress said, young driver Kevin Harvick will take Earnhardt's place on Sunday in the race here in Rockingham, however he won't driver a car with the number three, he'll drive 29, and that car won't have a black paint scheme, it will be painted white -- Wolf.</s>BLITZER: John Giannone in North Carolina, thank you very much. Turning now to the Clinton pardons controversy and allegations that four men convicted of stealing millions from the federal government had their sentences commuted in exchange for delivering votes to Hillary Rodham Clinton. We go live to New York and CNN national correspondent Frank Buckley with details -- Frank.</s>FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, we've known that federal investigators here in New York have been probing presidential pardons. Today, we received some additional detail with respect to one aspect of the investigation.</s>BUCKLEY (voice-over): Voters in the village of New Square, New York, a Hasidic community founded in the '50s, were very clear in their support of Hillary Clinton for U.S. Senate. Mrs. Clinton visited the village in August, courting voters as she approached the campaign's final stretch. Her opponent Rick Lazio also attempted to garner votes here, but he was far less successful than Mrs. Clinton. Lazio received only 12 votes. Mrs. Clinton -- everyone else in the village who voted. Fourteen hundred people voted for her. Residents and others saying: Hasidic communities traditionally vote in blocs.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know; they asked me to vote for them, and I vote for them.</s>BUCKLEY: But did New Square voters support Mrs. Clinton in return for President Clinton's granting of clemency for four members of the village serving sentences for defrauding the U.S. government? The Associated Press reports the U.S. attorney for New York, Mary Jo White, is probing that question. Sources who attended the August event with Mrs. Clinton say, however, the subject was never raised, that there was no quid pro quo. But sources say that in a White House meeting on December 22nd, long after Mrs. Clinton was elected, the first couple listened as two village leaders did present the case to have the sentences of the men commuted. Petitions were also submitted to the Justice Department and the White House in support of clemency by attorney Sam Rosenthal. "I personally contacted the Justice Department and requested a meeting. And while the Department declined to meet with me, I was told that it would be helpful to my clients if contact were made directly with the White House, given the president's responsibility for commutations."</s>BUCKLEY: Mrs. Clinton has said she did not participate in any way in those commutations of sentences. Also today, Bill Cunningham, Mrs. Clinton's campaign treasurer came forward to say that, yes, he did participate in the preparation of petitions for two Arkansas men who were successful in getting their pardons, but he said that was a legal matter that he handled as an attorney, and he did not speak to either Clinton about that -- Wolf.</s>BLITZER: Frank, is there any indication that this pardons controversy is having an impact on Mrs. Clinton's numbers in the public opinion polls?</s>BUCKLEY: No polling that we know of this week, Wolf, but we can tell you that as early as Valentine's Day, there was some polling, asking New York voters for Mrs. Clinton's job approval. Her job approval rating is at a low 38 percent right now. To compare it to a couple of other politicians, Chuck Schumer, the other New York Senator is at 56 percent. Governor George Pataki here in New York is at 57 percent.</s>BLITZER: OK, Frank Buckley in New York, thank you very much. President Bush, meanwhile, held his first meeting today with a European leader, hosting British Prime Minister Tony Blair at Camp David. The talks came a week after U.S. and British warplanes launched airstrikes at targets near Baghdad. Let's go live to CNN senior White House correspondent John King. He's near Camp David, he has a lot more -- John.</s>JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, the prime minister, of course, was known as a very close friend of the former President Clinton, but he says he's determined to build a very effective working relationship, as well as a personal bond with the new Republican president of the United States. Mr. Bush, for his part today, said he's very impressed with the prime minister and what he called his charm offensive.</s>KING (voice-over): They are a political odd couple. Great Britain's left-of-center prime minister and the new conservative president of the United States, but they are determined to stand shoulder-to-shoulder on the world stage, and came away from their first meeting brimming with confidence and friendly words.</s>GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I can assure you that when either of us get in a bind, there'll be a friend on the other end of the phone.</s>KING: Both are open to easing economic sanctions that are punishing the Iraqi people. Both firm and making clear they are not ready to ease up on the Iraqi leader.</s>TONY BLAIR, PRIME MINISTER OF GREAT BRITAIN: Don't be under any doubt at all of our absolute determination to make sure that the threat of Saddam Hussein is contained, and that he's not able to develop these weapons of mass destruction that he wishes to do.</s>KING: It was just a week ago that U.S. and British pilots bombed Iraqi air defense sites. Mr. Bush had protested to China about helping Iraq modernize the facilities and disclosed he had received a quick response.</s>BUSH: If I could paraphrase it, it was, you know -- if this is the case, we will remedy the situation.</s>KING: The scenic Camp David retreat was chosen because this was built as an informal getting-to-know-you visit. But both leaders had clear goals. Mr. Blair wanted Washington to drop objections to a new European force, and Mr. Bush obliged.</s>BUSH: But he also assured me that the European defense would no way undermine NATO. He also assured me that there would be a joint command, the planning would take place within</s>NATO. KING: Mr. Bush wants help selling a new national missile defense program. Russia and China object, and most of the NATO allies are skeptical.</s>KING: Mr. Blair didn't take sides. He said he understood the U.S. position, did not endorse any specific plan, but said it's a debate worth having within the NATO alliance, and that he would help Mr. Bush at least get that debate up and running -- Wolf.</s>BLITZER: John, is there any concern that you're sensing from Bush officials that the whole Clinton pardons controversy is overshadowing much of the president's agenda during these early weeks?</s>KING: Privately, behind the scenes, there is some concern. That's one of the reason the president came into the White House briefing room yesterday for a news conference, but the Bush team -- very happy with the attention this meeting with Prime Minister Blair received today, and they believe the next week is critical. The president, of course, gives a joint address to Congress on Tuesday, releases his budget on Wednesday, then travels the country selling his agenda. They believe they will be driving the debate beginning next week, but they're always looking around, because they understand the Clinton controversy doesn't seem ready to go away just yet -- Wolf.</s>BLITZER: OK, John King in Thurmont, Maryland, near Camp David, thank you very much. Up next: more about the Clinton pardons, the Bush presidency, and of course, the Dick Cheney vice presidency, in part two of my interview with Lynne Cheney, just ahead.