July 25, 1995 - Part 5
July 25, 1995 - Part 5
(15:35:48) As we entered, I looked on the surfaces of the furniture to see if I could see a note. There was nothing immediately apparent. My thought was if there was a note, Vince would have placed it so it would be easily found, but that it would not have been placed where it would not have been discovered fairly readily. I sat at Vince's desk, opened the drawers to the desk to see if there was anything that looked like a suicide note. I looked in the top of his briefcase, which was sitting on the floor. I didn't see anything. During this timeframe, Bernie was grieving. He was walking back and forth in the office. He left the office for a few minutes. Shortly thereafter, I recall Maggie Williams came in and sat down opposite me. She was crying and visibly grieving. We sat together, me at Vince's desk, Maggie across from me, crying,, and asking each other why. As I recall, Maggie then left the office and Bernie came back. I believe that Bernie told me at the time we probably don't need to be here anymore, let's leave. I said OK. We both left the office emptyhanded. I went back to my office on the ground floor and paged David Watkins to report. I later learned that the pager records show that the time of the page to Mr. Watkins was at 11:36 p.m. Ile responded. I reported that I had found no note. I asked if there was anything else that I could do to help. He told me that the Press Office was preparing a statement and the family wanted a copy of it. He asked if I would get that to the house. I delivered the press release to the home. I was at Vince's house for a few minutes, just long enough to express my condolences and then I went home for the evening. 312 Thank you, sir. The CHAIRMAN. Thank you very much. Mr. Chertoff. Mr. CHERTOFF. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Ms. Thomasson, you are currently still working at the White House? Ms. THOMASSON. Yes, sir, I am. Mr. CHERTOFF. What's your current position? Ms. THOMASSON. I am a Deputy Assistant to the President for Presidential Personnel. Mr. CHERTOFF. When did you move over from your position as of 1993 into your current position? Ms. THOMASSON. In May 1995. Mr. CHERTOFF. Let me direct your attention back to July 20, 1993. You were at a restaurant called the Sequoia? Ms. THOMASSON. That's correct. Mr. CHERTOFF. That's in Georgetown? Ms. THOMASSON. Yes, sir. Mr. CHERTOFF. How far is that from the Foster residence? Ms. THOMASSON. I have no idea. Mr. CHERTOFF. Have you ever been to the Foster residence? Ms. THOMASSON. Only one time, sir. Mr. CHERTOFF, You did know Vincent Foster, though? Ms. THOMASSON. I knew Vincent Foster, but I was only at his residence the night that he killed himself, and that was after I had been to the White House. Mr. CHERTOFF. Do you remember where it is? Ms. THOMASSON. I couldn't tell you, sir. Mr. CHERTOFF, You do know it's in Georgetown, though? Ms, THOMASSON. I think it's somewhere in Georgetown. Mr. CHERTOFF. Now, you were in the process of leaving the restaurant when you got paged? Ms. THOMASSON. That's correct, sir. Mr. CHERTOFF. I take it you don't have an independent recollection of exactly what time you got paged; right? Ms. THOMASSON. I have no independent recollection of that, sir. Mr. CHERTOFF. But will you accept as accurate a record we received from the White House indicating that was at 10:34 p.m.? Ms. THOMASSON. I have no better recollection than what the White House records would show, sir. Mr. CHERTOFF. That is consistent with your general sense of things- right? Ms. THOMASSON. Yes, sir. Mr. CHERTOFF. Now, you get the page, and you go tell your friends you have to go respond; correct? Ms. THOMASSON. Correct, Mr. CHERTOFF. YOU leave them outside the restaurant while you go back in? Ms. THOMASSON. Correct. Mr. CHERTOFF. You go to a pay phone? Ms. THOMASSON. Correct. Mr. CHERTOFF. You make a call back to the White House? Ms. THOMASSON. Correct. 313 Mr. CHERTOFF. The White House does not put you through immediately; correct? Ms. THOMASSON. That's correct. Mr. CHERTOFF. They tell you that there's a message for you and Mr. Watkins wants your location and a number; correct? Ms. THOMASSON. That's correct. Mr. CHERTOFF. You indicate, rather than leave, that you want to stay on; right? MS. THOMASSON. That's correct. Mr. CHERTOFF. They then place the call, and it gets through to Mr. Watkins; correct? Ms. THOMASSON. I don't know what they do on their end, sir. I know I was eventually connected with Mr. Watkins. Mr. CHERTOFF. You're holding on the pay phone? Ms. THOMASSON. That's correct. Mr. CHERTOFF. He gets on the line and he breaks the news to you? Ms. THOMASSON. Yes, sir. Mr. CHERTOFF. At that point, you asked him if you could, in fact, come over to the Foster's residence; right? Ms. THOMASSON. I asked if there was anything that I could do to help. Mr. CHERTOFF. You said can I come where you are? Ms. THOMASSON. I said is there anything I can do to help? Do I need to be where you are? What do I need to do? Mr. CHERTOFF. His immediate response was I'd like you to go to the White House and look for a note? Ms. THOMASSON. That's correct. Mr. CHERTOFF. What did he tell you about what you should do if you found a note? Ms. THOMASSON. I was to call him, sir, Mr. CHERTOFF. You were going to page him and let him know you found the note? Ms. THOMASSON. That's correct. Mr. CHERTOFF. Did he tell you not to touch it? Ms. THOMASSON. No, sir. Mr. CHERTOFF. Did he tell you to contact anybody at the White House when you arrived, before you went into Mr. Foster's office? Ms. THOMASSON. No, sir. Mr. CHERTOFF. Did he tell you to get in touch with Mr. Nussbaum? Ms. THOMASSON. No, sir. Mr. CHERTOFF, Did he tell you to get in touch with Secret Service? Ms. THOMASSON. No, sir. Mr. CHERTOFF. Did you have any discussion with him about how you would gain entry into Mr. Foster's office? Ms. THOMASSON. No, sir. Mr. CHERTOFF. You understood Mr. Foster's office was part of the suite occupied by the White House Counsel; correct? Ms. THOMASSON, That's correct.