July 25, 1995 - Part 1
July 25, 1995 - Part 1
(10:05:32) Mr. CHERTOFF. So you knew he was at the White House; right? Mr. WATKINS. That was earlier in the evening, yes. Mr. CHERTOFF. You knew there were Secret Service personnel at the White House? Mr. WATKINS. Yes. Mr. CHERTOFF. Did you call anybody at the White House and ask them to go into Mr. Foster's office? Mr. WATKINS. No, I did not. Mr. CHERTOFF. Did you call Mr. Nussbaum or anybody from the White House Counsel's Office and ask them to go into the office? Mr. WATKINS. No. 242 Mr. CHERTOFF. The only person you asked to go in was Patsy Thomasson? Mr. WATKINS. That's correct. Mr. CHERTOFF. Who you knew was riot at the White House, but at a restaurant? Mr. WATKINS. That's correct, Mr. CHERTOFF. Did you discuss with Patsy Thomasson how she was going to get into Mr. Foster's office? Mr. WATKINS, I did not. Mr. CHERTOFF. You knew she was not someone who regularly occupied the office; right? Mr. WATKINS. I knew that she was not an occupant of the office, that's correct. Mr. CHERTOFF. She has a different office? Mr. WATKINS. That's correct. Mr. CHERTOFF. Does she have a key to all the offices? Mr. WATKINS. No, sir. Mr. CHERTOFF. Do you know whether she has the authority to enter the White House Counsel's Office at will? Mr. WATKINS. I don't know if she has the authority, but she was someone that was engaged in taking care of the Offices, moving furniture, changing personnel from office to office, so she had a general access to all the offices in the White House. Mr. CHERTOFF. Ms. Mathews, if I can turn to you for a moment, do you remember where you were that evening when you learned about what had happened to Mr. Foster? Ms. MATHEWS. I was in the residence of the White House. Mr. CHERTOFF. Was that for a taping of a Larry King interview? Ms. MATHEWS. Yes, sir, Mr. CHERTOFF. Where did you go after you had learned that Mr. Foster had been discovered? Ms. MATHEWS. I went to the--I'm sorry, had been discovered? Mr. CHERTOFF. Yes. Ms. MATHEWS. I went to the secretarial suite, of the Chief of Staff 's Off- ice. Mr. CHERTOFF. Why did you do that? MS. MATHEWS. To answer phones. Mr. CHERTOFF. Was that a decision you made? Ms. MATHEWS. Yes, sir, it was. Mr. CHERTOFF. Do you remember approximately when you left the residence to go over to the Chief of Staffs suite? Ms. MATHEWS. I don't remember the exact time. The majority-- I'm not sure if the Larry King show had ended, but I know I had, watched the majority of it. Mr. CHERTOFF. You left before it was actually concluded? Ms. MATHEWS. I don't remember whether it was actually concluded or not. Mr. CHERTOFF. How long did you spend in the Chief of Staff's suite? MS. MATHEWS. For the entire evening-I was there most evening until I left that night. Mr. CHERTOFF. Did you stay there continuously or was there a point when you went back to the residence? 243 MS. MATHEWS. There was a point at which I went back to the residence. Mr. CHERTOFF. Why did you do that? Ms. MATHEWS. In answering the phones, there was a message that came in that I thought should be delivered over to the residence. Mr. CHERTOFF. Now, during the course of the time you were at the Chief of Staffs Office, did you have occasion to go to your own office? Ms. MATHEWS. Yes. At one point in the evening-I actually don't have an office, and did not at that time. I have a space outside of the person I worked for's office and I did go there, yes, sir. Mr. CHERTOFF. Where is that located? Ms. MATHEWS. It is located on the second floor of the West Wing. Mr. CHERTOFF. Do you remember approximately when you went up to your own space? Ms. MATHEWS. I'm sorry, I don't remember specific times. I remember sequences, but not specific times. Mr. CHERTOFF. Do you remember if it was sometime before 10.45 P.M.? Ms. MATHEWS. I think that it was sometime between 10 and 10:45, yes, Sir. Mr. CHERTOFF. In that three-quarters of an hour period? Ms. MATHEWS. In that range, yes. Mr. CHERTOFF. Do you remember, as you walked up to your space, looking into the White House Counsel's Office? Ms. MATHEWS. The suite is all that you can see. It is a suite, and the secretarial office is-as I walked by, I saw the secretarial office. Mr. CHERTOFF. Was it open or closed? Ms. MATHEWS. It was open. Mr. CHERTOFF. Was anybody in it? MS. MATHEWS. I didn't hear or see anyone. Mr. CHERTOFF. Were the lights on or off? Ms. MATHEWS, I don't recall whether the lights were on or off. Mr. CHERTOFF. Now, how long did you spend up in your own work area on the second floor? MS. MATHEWS. Under 5 minutes. Mr. CHERTOFF. Then did you return to the Chief of Staffs Office? Ms. MATHEWS. The secretarial suite, yes, Sir. Mr. CHERTOFF. Again, that would be the secretarial area in the middle of the suite off of which the Chief of Staffs personal office is located? MS. MATHEWS. That's correct, the area between Mr. McLarty's office and, at that time, Mr. Roy Neel's office. Mr. CHERTOFF. You sat at one of the desks? Ms. MATHEWS. Yes. Mr. CHERTOFF. Were there other people there at this time? Ms. MATHEWS. When I returned from coming from my area? Mr. CHERTOFF. Right. Ms. MATHEWS. No. Mr. CHERTOFF. At any point during the period of time when you were in the Chief of Staff 's suite, were there other people in the suite? Ms. MATHEWS. In the evening, during the evening? 244 Mr. CHERTOFF. Yes. MS. MATHEWS. Yes, Sir. Mr. CHERTOFF. Do you remember approximately when that Was? MS. MATHEWS. I don't remember the time, but people came in throughout the evening. Mr. CHERTOFF. Was Mr. Burton there? MS. MATHEWS. Yes, Sir. Mr. CHERTOFF. Can you tell us what Mr. Burton's position was at that time in the White House?