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July 18, 1995 - Part 2
(11:05:23) Thus, the night that Foster died, the investigative wheels were in motion in three different Federal agencies, all pointing a finger at the political infrastructure of Arkansas. That is why many of us are not surprised that White House office staff searched his office the night of his death, failed to post anyone at the door to ensure that documents would not disappear, and then set up an elaborate system of screening documents which prevented law enforcement officials from getting access to relevant documents. We should re- member that the actions of the night of July 20 and in the days that followed were only part of the larger picture, which continued well after Mr. Foster's tragic death. We also now know that in late September 1993, information on the Kansas City office 's second set of criminal referrals, nine new charges, was passed on to Mr. Altman and within days Jean Hanson, his top lawyer, was at the White House passing on that information. This set off a flurry of activity through the month of October culminating in the bizarre coincidence that the chief investigator on the case, Gene Lewis, was removed from the investigation. White House staff had information on confidential criminal Proceedings, and none of the witnesses who testified before us were 25 able to swear that no information got out. That is why criminal referrals are supposed to be kept confidential, Unfortunately, it is important for the general public to believe in and trust their elected leaders in performing their jobs in an ethical, truthful and fair manner, We have some very real questions as to whether that occurred in that instance. It is for these reasons and this pattern that we must pursue this investigation, issue subpoenas, conduct investigations by deposition and hold these hearings to determine what was going on in the White House with regard to Whitewater. For our purposes, most importantly, we must determine if the extensive powers of the Presidency were misused. I thank the Chair. The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Senator. Senator Sarbanes. Senator SARBANES. Senator Boxer. OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR BARBARA BOXER Senator BOXER. Thank you very much. First, I want to say to Senator Bond I agree with him that we need to practice open Government around here. I mean that across the board, whether it's looking at the Executive Branch or ourselves, and I'll remember your words. They're important words. Mr. Chairman, we now enter year 2, phase 1 of the Senate Whitewater inquiry. What did we learn in year I? We learned that people made mistakes. I suspect that is what we will learn in this phase. Now, certainly enough people are looking at this, Why do I say that? Think of this. Many of the individuals who will testify in these hearings testified last year before Mr. Fiske, the Special Prosecutor, then before the House of Representatives, then before the Senate. Then they testified before Mr. Starr, and now they're before the Senate again. Next, they will testify before the House again, and then, perhaps, they'll testify before the Senate again when we enter phase 2 of year 2. The Senate and the Office of Independent Counsel spent over $2 million on these inquiries last year. This year, we've budgeted almost $7 million between the two. Our report on the Whitewater investment prepared by an outside law firm for the RTC cost the taxpayers $3 million. I want to make a point here, Mr. Chairman, to put this into con- text. Mr. Starr is using more than 50 Federal agents to assist in his inquiry. Fifty Federal agents. Senator Kerry cited more; I'll go with the conservative number of 50. The Unabomber has been on the loose for 20 years. For 20 years killing people, maiming people, but we have more than 50 Federal agents dispatched to Little Rock for Whitewater duty. Duplication and expense. That's synonymous with these hearings so far. I hope we'll change that and move forward. I want to say, Mr. Chairman, I've listened to you. I've listened to the Ranking Member, and it appears to me like it is your inten- tion to move quickly, look at the facts and move on. I hope we can do that. Today, we begin hearings to examine events following the death of Deputy White House Counsel Vincent Foster. I've read the sum 26 maries of all the 50-plus depositions taken for this round. I would like to reiterate something I said in our first Whitewater hearing 1 year ago that happened to be replayed this morning on the radio.
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Preview Cassette 97789 Part 1 World War I planes crash on ground.
1950s - Israeli Soldiers - In Formation
Company of adult Israeli male soldiers in formation, some holding weapons; female soldier seen in BG in formation. Platoon of adult Israeli female soldiers snap to attention; some carry machine guns.
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ON PREVIEW CASSETTE #991524 Newspaper Headline declares Earthquakes, fire
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Bobcat
06:04:31 Bobcat kitten - CU yawning 06:07:13 " " eating grouse and he carries it off ON PART TWO.
Death Ends Dog's Long Vigil
Same as catalog #344044 Shaky, blurry, light in contrast and imagery A Collie dog waits at the bottom of a hospital elevator twelve years for his master who was carried up in the lift to die in the institution and be carried out another exit. Death finally ends the faithful pet's long vigil.
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Shaky, jumpy, light in contrast and imagery Bureau of Air Commerce officials inspect a queer-looking flivver 'plane developed by Hayden Campbell. The inventor claims his machine can be built commercially for $1,500, gets 16 miles to the gallon and will fly 115 miles an hour.
July 18, 1995 - Part 2
(11:15:15) So, whether we put these notes on a screen and hint around that there's a problem, let's get back to the question here, the papers of Vince Foster. Where did we get that note? They were turned over to this Committee by President Clinton's lawyers. They were not kept from this Committee. I think that's an Important point, and when we see documents that say redacted, which means something has been left out, that is part of the procedures under which we are operating, where information may be redacted if it covers other questions and isn't relevant, whether it's a phone call or another comment. So let's not put endless papers that say redacted, redacted, redacted. We have a procedure for dealing with redacted documents. So I hope that what I can do is just look at these documents because they're shown on these screens, and maybe some will give us something we don't already know and that would be very useful to the Committee. Mr. Chairman, I am done with my comments, and I look forward to our witnesses. The CHAIRMAN. Senator Grams. OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR ROD GRAMS Senator GRAMS Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, for, of course, calling this important round of hearings. Some may ask why the hearings we conduct today and over the next few weeks are relevant to the lives of the average American. The first answer to that question is that the failure of Madison Guaranty Savings & Loan cost the American taxpayers $60 million, and there is evidence that the investments of America's First Fam- ily in the Whitewater Development Corporation played a major role in Madison's failure. We owe it to the American people, the people who work hard and pay their taxes to keep Government operating, to get to the bottom of this whole affair. More importantly, however, the testimony we will hear over the next 3 weeks on the events surrounding the death of White House Associate Counsel Vincent Foster will unmask a side of Government we don't like to see: arrogance, abuse of power, obstruction of justice, lack of accountability to the people. These are the real subjects of our hearings. While all of us would prefer not to think that these things go on at the highest levels of our Government, we suspect deep down inside that they do The story you're about to hear is simple, often troubling, some times unbelievable, but in the end reveals why the American peo- ple don't trust their Government anymore. I have just one chapter in this story to tell, but like the rest of this unveiling tale, it contains conflicting testimony, failures to recollect important events and questionable accounts of what really happened in July 1993. Specifically, I am referring to the events surrounding the uncontrolled rummaging by White House officials in and out of Vince Foster's office the night of his death. Or more 28 simply put: Who came and left, when, why, with whom, and what did they take with them? As conflicting as the accounts we are about to hear may seem, there are things we do know to be true. Fact: Vince Foster was deeply involved in President and Mrs. Clinton's handling of Whitewater, Fact- On the night of Mr. Foster's death, the White House Counsel's suite was opened by a member of the Secret Service at 10:42. Fact- On the same night, the White House Counsel's suite was closed by that same member of the Secret Service at 11:41. Fact: During that hour, three Administration officials, Bernard Nussbaum, then White House Counsel; Maggie Williams, the First Lady's Chief of Staff-, and Patsy Thomasson, then Deputy Director of Administration at the White I-louse entered Mr. Foster's office for some period of time. Fact: Despite requests from the Park Police to secure Mr. Foster's office for the purpose of protecting the integrity of the contents therein, Mr. Foster's off-ice was not secured until the next morning. Those are the facts which leave us with a number of troubling questions. Why wasn't the office of Mr. Foster, a high-ranking Government official, secured on the night of his death, especially when the circumstances of his death were not fully known? Why were three White House officials given free rein to go in and out of Mr. Foster's office that night when the Park Police were refuse entry the next day? Why were these officials so intent on rummaging through Mr. Foster's office that night? Why do the accounts of that night by Mr. Nussbaum, Ms. Williams and Ms. Thomasson, conflict with each other? Why did Mr. Nussbaum, by all accounts, other than his own, leave Ms. Williams and Ms. Thomasson alone in the White House Counsel's suite? Finally, were any documents from Mr. Foster's office removed in the middle of the night? Now, these are just a few of the questions left unanswered answered by the depositions this Committee took over the last few weeks, questions that still need answers. It is my sincere hope that we unearth these answers to these questions, Mr. Chairman otherwise I'm afraid that our Government may never again regain the full confidence of the American people. The American people are generally willing to give Government the benefit of the doubt, but when the people learn about how their public officials have abused their trust and assumed the power to Cover up questionable actions their faith in government disappears, We can't allow that to happen
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The Laugh Parade Of 1936 - He's Plain Nuts
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The Laugh Parade Of 1936 - Duck Ducks Water
Shaky, jumpy, light in contrast and imagery A duck that won't take to water adds a laugh to the world's store for 1936. The bird is a family and community pet, but it just won't go for a swim or stay under the spray of a garden hose.
July 18, 1995 - Part 2
(11:20:40) We must get to the bottom of the Whitewater affair, and we must begin today. That's why these hearings are so important and why we can delay them no further To do otherwise would result in a failure by the United States Senate to carry out its responsibility in representing the American people It would mean more public distrust of government and create a nation of cynics and that, Mr. Chairman, would be the final tragedy to the chapter in story of Vince Foster. Thank You. The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Senator. Senator Moseley-Braun- 29 OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR CAROL MOSELEY-BRAUN Senator MOSELEY-BRAUN. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, Mr. Chairman, Whitewater seems sometimes like a very large and complicated subject to most Americans, It's been referred to even this morning as a web of interconnected scandals, but, quite frankly, the focus of this phase of the Committee's work is -much more limited and much more simple. Was there improper conduct in the handling of the papers in Vincent Foster's office after his death? At the outset, I think it's worth noting that there is substantial evidence that the applicable law was complied with in this situation. No one has even alleged that there was any interference with the Park Police investigation that constituted a violation of law. It is worth noting that the Park Police, if they thought they needed any documents from the Foster office, which was not where he committed suicide, could have asked for a search warrant or sought a subpoena duces tecum. They never made any such requests. Of course, it is very unlikely that a judge would have ever issued a search warrant for Vince Foster's office because probable cause for a search would have been very difficult, if not impossible, to establish. The best evidence for that conclusion is found in the Park Police's own guidelines issued after this case. Those guidelines do not provide for sealing of any workplace where the death did not occur at that workplace. Even prior to the Foster case, the Park Police did not routinely request that the office of any person that committed suicide at another location be sealed. It is also worth keeping in mind that the Park Police never re- quested an opportunity to go through the Foster home. But, Mr. Chairman, if the law was not violated, or likely not violated, what about ethical standards? Vincent Foster was a lawyer, and as such the canons of ethics governing lawyers imposes a duty of confiden- tiality, a duty that did not die with Vince Foster. The attorney-cli- ent privilege is one of the foundations of our system of justice and justifiably so. Could any American consult an attorney if they thought that their communications with their lawyer were not pro- tected? This duty is a formidable one and there are special consider- ations that apply to a Presidential lawyer like Mr. Foster that make that duty even more formidable, I think the reference has been made that there was information regarding Supreme Court nominees in that office, Bernard Nussbaum and other Members of the White House Counsel's Office) therefore, had a duty to protect confidentiality in Mr. Foster's office. Seeking to protect the confidentiality of the files in his office was, therefore, at a minimum, not an obvious violation of applicable ethical standards. Those standards, in fact, called action to protect the confidentiality of the files in that office. Mr, Chairman I would point out that even the requests for information by this Committee, which the Chairman and the Ranking Member signed, has in it language that recognizes the existence of that confidentiality, the attorney-client privilege. It says: In connection with the above request, particularly with regards to documents in Vincent Foster's office at the time of his death we recognize that these materials are likely to include documents subject to claims Of privilege, and if any documents 30 are withheld based on the assertion of any privilege, please provide a log identifying the date, et cetera, and the basis for the privilege asserted. That has been done and complied with in this case. The White House has cooperated fully in that regard. That leaves, however, a third area of inquiry. Even if the handling of the documents in Vince Foster's office comported with all applicable legal and ethical standards, was there, nonetheless, an appearances issue, a question involving the penumbra of ethics rules that is worth considering? That, it seems to me, is where this Committee's inquiry will really be focused, once it is firmly established that there were no violations of law involved and no violation of applicable ethics rules. Mr. Chairman, in your statement, you said, and I quote, "the Senate Whitewater hearings will be fair, impartial and thorough."
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Modified Martial Law Decreed For Steel Strike Area
Rolling, shaky, dull in contrast and imagery With the huge steel plant shut on orders from the governor, state police govern the strike-torn town until negotiations between 15,000 workers and officials of the company can take place. Meanwhile, peace reigns with no indication of unrest. A picket sign reads..(What Woman Would Live With A Strike Breaker As A Husband?) The other sign reads...........(Mill Men Remember The Days of Mill Slavery/ Organize Or You Will Be Driven Back To Slavery.)
July 18, 1995 - Part 2
(11:25:21) I want to commend you for that statement and for that commitment. This is not a time for trying to score partisan political points, and these hearings should not be a forum for rumor and innuendo that are not supported by fact, nor should these hearings be allowed to become another battleground for the kind of culture wars that characterized the handling of Dr. Foster's nomination. Frankly, that seems to have an unfortunately growing role in our politics. Rather, this is a time to try to ascertain the facts and to try to understand what happened. That can only happen if we go where the evidence takes us and avoid any attempts to demonize people because we disagree with their views on policy issues, We must avoid any temptation to suggest that wrongdoing has occurred here because we don't like what someone stands for or because we think that person is too influential or we want to cut him or her down to size. Allegations made merely to seek advantage in upcoming elections that are unsupported by the evidence have no place here. The hearings we are conducting must be fair and impartial) and that involves keeping closely in mind what precipitated the events we are examining in this phase of the Committee's work. Again, that is the tragic death of Vincent Foster. We are not here today to review the cause of his death. We looked at that issue last year. Moreover, every official agency of government that has examined the cause of death has reached the same conclusions that Vince Foster's death resulted from suicide. Despite the cottage industry that has arisen to offer bizarre alternative theories as to what happened to Mr. Foster, there, frankly, is no reasonable doubt on that score. Fairness demands that we keep constantly in mind that Vince Foster's death had a devastating effect on those with whom he worked. He was very popular. He was both respected and liked What is more, as a Member of the White House staff, he shared the long hours, the frantic pace and the huge amount of work that characterizes those jobs. This kind of working environment and the closeness that it engenders -made his death hit other White House staffers very hard. Most Of them, frankly, were not just co-workers; many of them were friends, even good friends. Vince Foster's death affected them all very deeply. We sometimes act as if people who enter public service give up at least part of their humanity when they do so, but that is not the case. Vince Foster's co-workers and friends were not just members of the White House staff; they were human beings, they were peo- 31 ple who grieve and cry and act just like any other American facing a similar situation. That, I believe, is an important thing for us to keep in mind. The American people, justifiably, do not want the White House or Congress or any other part of Government treated any better than they are, We want the same rules to apply to ev- eryone. We all expect a suicide involving a member of the White House staff to be fully investigated. In fact, given that the White House is involved, most Americans would expect that a higher in- vestigative standard would be used than in other cases. However, the American people are also a compassionate people. Most Americans know how they would react if a good friend died tragically and unexpectedly and they can empathize with the situation that the friends of Vince Foster faced. Most Americans view a death of this kind not just as a matter for the police, but a moment for friends and family to come together to support one another. While there is dispute as to whether the Park Police officer was momentarily kept from Mrs. Foster the night that Vince Foster died, I would think it would not be at all strange if it happened because, quite frankly, no American wants to share the moment of greatest grief with strangers, and that includes the police. I want to conclude, Mr, Chairman, by making one final point, This Committee has a responsibility to be thorough, but it also has a responsibility to finish, Most, if not all, of the witnesses we will hear from in this phase of the Committee's work have been deposed as many as half a dozen times before, if not more. We are asking many of them who knew Vince Foster well, people who were close to him both professionally and personally, to relive a Very painful part of their lives. We are inevitable dredging up painful memories for Mrs. Foster and the Foster family. I hope that this Committee, therefore, will not lose s sighy of the need to be expeditious, as well as thorough and of the need to allow all of these people to come to closure with the death of Vince Foster. In short I hope that we will meet both our professional obligation and our human obligation. If we work together we can forgo the opportunity for partisan gamesmanship, and I'm sure that we could meet both Of those critically important obligations and put this issue to rest once and for all. Thank you. The CHAIRMAN. Thank YOU, Senator.
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