CNN Lou Dobbs Tonight - Transcript

CNN Lou Dobbs Tonight - Transcript

DOBBS: The top news tonight, President Bush returned to Washington after a summit meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki in Jordan. President Bush said talk of a graceful exit from Iraq is simply unrealistic and he said our troops must complete the job.

The Iraq Study Group will deliver its report next week. It's likely to recommend that American troops be withdrawn gradually from combat operations. The group is likely to suggest those troops should be used to help train Iraqi forces instead.

And the federal government lost files of more than 100,000 people applying for American citizenship, but federal officials still gave their citizenship to as many as 30,000 of those people, including a suspected radical Islamist terrorist.

In other important news, the mystery is deepening following the poisoning assassination of a former Russian spy. A former Russian prime minister fell ill the day after Alexander Litvinenko died. Doctors in Moscow think now he was also poisoned. Traces of radiation have been confirmed on two British Airways jetliners and signs of radiation have now turned up at 12 sites in the city of London.

Two Russian aircraft are also being examined. British officials won't say what role those aircraft may have played in all of this. But Russian contacts who met with Litvinenko the day before he fell ill had traveled from Moscow to London.

Snowstorms that blasted the Northwest and the Rockies now bringing the first significant ice and snow to the Southern Plains and Midwest. It's been tough going in New Mexico, where the winter weather forced the closure of interstate 40. That blizzard shut down many schools and businesses. Driving conditions also hazardous in west Texas, where numerous accidents were reported. Winter storm warnings are in effect tonight from Texas to Illinois, through tomorrow.

Cintas, the nation's largest uniform supplier decided to proactively check mismatched Social Security numbers. The company told its employees that if their Social Security numbers were not valid, those employees would be given time to clear up any discrepancy or be terminated. Congressman Bennie Thompson is the incoming chairman of the Homeland Security Committee. He took issue with Cintas's actions and he joins us tonight from Jackson, Mississippi.

Good to have you with us, Congressman.

REP. BENNIE THOMPSON (D), MISSISSIPPI: Thank you for having me, Lou.

DOBBS: And congratulations on moving to the chair of one of the country's most important committees. The idea that you were complaining about these -- the company taking action on this and writing a very strong letter -- what was the point of that, if I may ask?

THOMPSON: Well, I think the point is the Department of Homeland Security has put out a proposed rule addressing that very issue. They have been soliciting thousands of responses all over the country so that we can come up with one plan to address that particular issue. The department has not come forward with that particular rule.

So what we could conceivably have is every company interpreting its own rule, rather than the department putting forth a rule. That's why we more or less put this company on notice that DHS is about to do this and it's not in your best interest to put these employees on notice on a rule that may or may not exist.

DOBBS: Well, let me ask you something, congressman. The fact is that if every employer in this country followed the mismatched policy used by Cintas and lots of other corporations and employers in this country, we wouldn't have nearly the problem we've got with illegal immigration, do you think?

THOMPSON: There's no question about it. The problem we've found is that we don't have a specific rule. The mismatch rule does not give a time limit in terms of when an employer has to get this information back.

So what we want to do with this DH rule, Lou, is to have one rule that all employers abide by. One of the problems we found out is that sometimes it's a name change, sometimes it's a marriage license document that's invalid. Sometimes the employer makes a mistake on a Social Security number.

DOBBS: Sure.

THOMPSON: So we need to give some time for that to happen. Right now, we don't have rules that set specifics on that. Once we get DHS to come forward with the specific rule now that they've put out, received comments from businesses all over the country, I'm prepared to go forward with whatever they come with.

It was just premature on Cintas's part to move in this direction. And that's why, as a ranking Democrat, incoming chairman on homeland security, I wanted to let them know that I had been contacted. It's an issue and they shouldn't move forward.

DOBBS: Congressman, why, then, did you say in your letter to them on November 2nd, you were concerned about discrimination rather than homeland security and rather than any reference to any of those rule changes that you mentioned or interpretation. You say very clearly that you're extremely concerned about any potential discriminatory actions targeting this community, referring to...

THOMPSON: That's right.

DOBBS: I'm sorry?

THOMPSON: Well, my letter speaks to the employees of the company that were being -- received these notices. And clearly, if you check with the company, they'll verify that many of these employees who received these notices were immigrants.

DOBBS: Yes. They're immigrants -- you said immigrants, not illegal immigrants?

THOMPSON: That's right.

DOBBS: Right. And the fact is that they gave over 60 days for anyone to take care of this problem. As you yourself acknowledge, that if every employer in the country was following the same diligent, rigorous policy in terms of those it employed, we wouldn't have a problem. So why in terms of solving a problem, should we get hung up on what the Department of Homeland Security, which, as you know, is basically just a joke anyway, is doing with a rule?

THOMPSON: Well, after January, you'll see a big difference. What you'll see is a department that gives timetables for employers to come forth with the employees. It would be fair to the employees who get this information. If they don't get the information back, Lou, then obviously they're in violation, and they should suffer the consequences. I have no problems with it. But right now, we don't have any rules that address this. Hopefully, we'll have them.

DOBBS: Congressman, you know, we look forward to you taking over the Homeland Security Committee and delivering on that statement, that it's going to be a lot better.

Will you recommend that all employers follow a rational policy and make certain that they are matching those Social Security numbers? Will you also tell this government, this executive branch, this Bush administration that they're to remove the executive order prohibiting a comparison of Internal Revenue Service numbers with Social Security numbers and end this absurd ignorance of our laws?

THOMPSON: Well, you have my word, Lou, that we will have a rule that addresses the no mismatch requirement that all employers will be able to follow. Employees will know how long they have to get the information. And if they don't provide the information to the employer, then they will not retain their employment, and the proper agencies will be notified of such.

DOBBS: Congressman, we thank you for being here. Appreciate it.

THOMPSON: Thank you.

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