[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (2000-2001, Book III)]
[November 27, 2000]
[Pages 2583-2584]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks Prior to a Cabinet Meeting and an Exchange With Reporters
November 27, 2000

Cabinet Accomplishments/Presidential Transition

    The President. Let me say, first of all, I called this Cabinet 
meeting in part just to thank publicly the members of this Cabinet for 8 
extraordinary years of service. A number of them have been with me the 
whole way. And for all of them, I am very grateful.
    The policies we have worked on together have been very good for 
America. They have sparked the longest economic expansion in history. 
Our welfare rolls were cut in half. We have crime at a 28-year low. And 
more land has been protected in the lower 48 States than at any time 
since Theodore Roosevelt's administration almost a century ago. This is 
a record that all of them can be proud of, and only a small fraction of 
the record that they established.
    Our country is now moving forward. And in the final weeks of this 
administration, we are committed to maintaining a steady course. That 
means providing a smooth transition to the next President, whether it is 
Vice President Gore or Governor Bush. As you know, an appropriate legal process is now 
underway. That process will take a few more days to play itself out. Our 
job is to do what we've done for 8 years now, to focus on the business 
at hand.
    That is why I'm signing today an Executive order creating a 
transition coordinating council. The council will provide the President-
elect's team with coordinated services, especially regarding personnel 
matters. This action and other efforts by the Cabinet will well ensure 
that we are as prepared as we can possibly be for an orderly transition 
to the new administration. Meanwhile, we will be doing what we can to 
get ready when Congress comes back to town in a few days.
    Thank you very much.

2000 Presidential Election

    Q. Mr. President, do you think Governor Bush was presumptuous in 
declaring victory last night?
    The President. Well, I don't think I should comment on what he or 
the Vice President says. There is an election challenge. Both of them

[[Page 2584]]

have litigation involved. At least one case involves the U.S. Supreme 
Court, and the election challenge will play itself out.

    I will say what I have said from the first day. In all this 
interplay, it is easy to lose what is really important, which is the 
integrity of the voter--every single vote. On election day, every person 
who voted had a vote that counted just as much as mine. So they have to 
sort that out in Florida--whose vote should be counted; can every vote 
be counted; if every vote can't be counted, is there a good reason why 
you're not counting that vote?

    And I think those are the things that will be resolved in this 
election challenge, and I think we just have to let--both sides are very 
well represented, and they all both have litigation, and we'll just 
watch it play itself out.

    Q. Mr. President, so you don't accept Florida's certification of 
George Bush as the winner?

    The President. It's not up for me to accept or reject. There is a 
legal process here. Both of them have filed lawsuits, and the Supreme Court of 
Florida, when they issued their opinion a couple of days ago, or a few 
days ago, actually anticipated a challenge. And if you read the opinion, 
they explicitly acknowledged that it was almost a certainty. So let's 
just watch this happen. It will be over soon, and we will be ready for 
the transition.

Presidential Transition

    Q. Mr. President, to what extent were you, or was anyone in the 
White House staff, involved in the decision by the General Services 
Administration to withhold transition funding from the Bush/Cheney team?

    The President. I was not involved in it at all, and as far as I 
know, no one else here was. But there is a procedure that--we actually 
went back and reviewed the congressional deliberations on this 
legislation. And I think the General Services Administration believes 
that it cannot offer transition assistance to both of them, which is 
what I would otherwise be inclined to do.

    I think they're doing what they think the law requires. But I 
personally--I can't answer for anyone else in the White House, but I was 
personally not involved in it. I think they're trying to do what they 
think the law requires while this election challenge plays itself out. 
It won't be long now.

Vice President Gore

    Q. Have you spoken to the Vice President at all, or----

    The President. I talked to him on Thanksgiving, called him and 
wished him and his family a happy Thanksgiving.

    Q. But he hasn't called you for advice or anything?

    The President. No.

Note: The President spoke at 3:16 p.m. in the Cabinet Room at the White 
House. In his remarks, the President referred to Republican Presidential 
candidate Gov. George W. Bush and Vice Presidential candidate Dick 
Cheney. A tape was not available for verification of the content of 
these remarks. The Executive order on the Presidential transition is 
listed in Appendix D at the end of this volume.