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Sunday Morning News

Gov. George Pataki Discusses the Florida Recount

Aired November 26, 2000 - 10:00 a.m. ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to move over to Jeff Flock. I guess he's got the governor of New York with him right now -- Jeff.

JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Indeed, while you went away for a break, we came back and found the governor of New York, who is down here, spent two hours inside overnight. And I'll tell you, while we've got the governor, let's take a look inside. David, do we have the inside camera as well? As you can see, it's still going on.

You observed for about two hours. Does it look fair to you?

GOV. GEORGE PATAKI (R), NEW YORK: Jeff, I think they're trying, but it obviously is an arbitrary process where the standards have changed. You know, it started out with a hanging chad and then went to a swinging chad and then to a point of light and now maybe dents. And...

FLOCK: Did they look tired in there to you?

PATAKI: They're very tired, and it's an inherently arbitrary process. At about 1:00, I saw a vote counted for Gore and I couldn't divine anything on the ballot at all that made any reasonable sense as to why that was happening.

FLOCK: Are you saying that these members of the counting board are being unfair with their decision?

PATAKI: No, I think they're trying their best, and I certainly don't question the integrity of any of them. But it's an arbitrary system where the rules have been changing from hour to hour, let alone day to day. And that's wrong. That's not the way to decide an election.

Jeff, my understanding is never has Florida counted dimpled ballots. And they shouldn't be counting them now. It reminds me of Carnac the magnificent when they're holding them up and trying to figure out who voted for who, and that's not right.

FLOCK: Well I know we've heard a lot about this, but obviously there are states that do -- that have counted dimpled ballots. You're aware of that.

PATAKI: Florida, I don't believe, ever has, and I think it's just wrong that they're in there now trying to divine the intent from things that are basically incomprehensible.

FLOCK: You're confident that -- you believe that the votes counted reflect Governor Bush the winner. You think you know enough already to declare it?

PATAKI: I don't want to predict what's going on in the counting room, but I believe on November 7th Governor Bush carried Florida. And what bothers me is the Gore campaign's rhetoric about trying to count every vote. That's not what they mean. They are being hypocrites, because they want to count all the Gore votes by trying to block military ballots on hypertechnicalities when it's clear that those ballots would vote for Bush I think points out the hypocrisy of the Gore effort here.

FLOCK: But the vice president has made it clear that he wants those military ballots counted. The Democratic attorney general here has said count the ballots. Several counties have already gone forward on that.

PATAKI: The Democratic lawyers put out a five-page memo as to how to object to military ballots. There are still counties across the state that are not counting military ballots because of Democratic Gore objections. That's not right, it's hypocritical, and I think it really reflects an attitude not to have a fair recount but to try to find every vote for Al Gore that their lawyers can do. And that's not right.

FLOCK: If Bush prevails in this hand recount, what is your candidate going to do at 5:00? Are we going to hear a victory speech from Governor Bush tonight?

PATAKI: Well let me tell you what I think Al Gore should do, and that is if the hand recount, which shouldn't be happening under any circumstances, finds Governor Bush the winner in Florida, Governor Bush will be the next president. He will have a majority of the electoral votes, and at that point the honorable thing would be for Vice President Gore to say, we fought the good fight and congratulate Governor Bush.

FLOCK: Will Governor Bush declare victory, and will he call on Vice President Bush -- Vice President Gore to concede?

PATAKI: I'm not going to speculating as to what Governor Bush may or may not do, but I believe that the American people recognize and will recognize that Governor Bush carried Florida, and by carrying Florida he should be our next president.

FLOCK: Did they ask you to come down here, by the way, the Bush campaign?

PATAKI: I was happy to come down, but we did have discussions, yes.

FLOCK: And what you would tell him to do if could you tell him what to do tonight? PATAKI: I'd tell him do what he's been doing. He's been conducting himself with tremendous integrity and stature and staying on the high road. That's the right thing. I think it puts him in contrast with the Gore campaign.

FLOCK: Governor, I appreciate the time.

PATAKI: Thank you.

FLOCK: Governor Pataki of New York, thank you so much, appreciate it.

The very latest from here, obviously surrogates on both sides in town tonight to make their voices known along with the rest of America. We'll watch it.

Jeff Flock, CNN, reporting live from West Palm.

Back to you folks.

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