July 25, 1995 - Part 5
July 25, 1995 - Part 5
(15:40:50) Mr. CHERTOFF. From your job duties at that time, were you aware that that suite was typically locked at the end of the day? 314 Ms. THOMASSON. I was aware that most offices in the White House would be locked at the end of the day. Mr. CHERTOFF. That was certainly true of your office? Ms. THOMASSON. Yes, sir, Mr. CHERTOFF. Did your office have an alarm? Ms. THOMASSON. Yes, sir. Mr. CHERTOFF. Did you know that night on your way to the White House whether the White House Counsel's suite had an alarm? Ms. THOMASSON. I did not know. Mr. CHERTOFF. How long was your conversation with Mr. Watkins on the telephone, approximately? Ms. THOMASSON. I couldn't tell you. It was a very short conversation. Mr. CHERTOFF. You hang up the phone; right? Ms. THOMASSON. Correct, Mr. CHERTOFF. You go outside to your friends? Ms. THOMASSON. Correct. Mr. CHERTOFF. You tell them the news? Ms. THOMASSON. Yes, sir. Mr. CHERTOFF. YOU spend a moment or two commiserating? Ms. THOMASSON. Yes, sir. Mr. CHERTOFF. YOU say you need to go to the White House? Ms. THOMASSON. Yes, sir. Mr. CHERTOFF. They agree to come with you in a cab? Ms. THOMASSON. They insist they come with me in a cab, yes. Mr. CHERTOFF. You hail a cab? Ms. THOMASSON. Yes. Mr. CHERTOFF. Do you remember whether you hailed a cab outside the restaurant or whether you walked up to M Street? Ms. THOMASSON. I don't really recall whether there was a cab down on K Street that we were able to hail or whether we had to walk to M Street. I just simply don't remember that. Mr. CHERTOFF. When you got a cab, you then drove to the White House? Ms. THOMASSON. Yes, sir. Mr. CHERTOFF. When you got out at the White House, your friends got out with you? Ms. THOMASSON. One of my friends got out with me, yes. Mr. CHERTOFF. You spent a moment or two talking and commiserating with your friend? Ms. THOMASSON. That's correct. Mr, CHERTOFF. At that point, you entered the White House? Ms. THOMASSON. Correct. Mr. CHERTOFF. Now, just to assist you with this, I'll tell you that we have a Secret Service record that indicates your entry that night was at 10:49 and 16 seconds, which is about 15 minutes after the page. Now, at that point, you go first to your office; right? Ms. THOMASSON. Yes, sir. Mr. CHERTOFF. Do you notify the Secret Service at the desk downstairs on the ground floor that you're intending to go into Mr. Foster's office? Ms. THOMASSON. No, sir. 315 Mr. CHERTOFF. Do you tell anybody while you're on the way up to your office that you're intending to go to Mr. Foster's office? Ms. THOMASSON. I don't recall talking to anybody before-on my way to my office. Mr. CHERTOFF. When you got to your office and put your things down, your intention was to make your way to Mr. Foster's office; right? Ms. THOMASSON. That's correct. Mr. CHERTOFF, You did not know who else was in the White House at that point? Ms. THOMASSON. Had no idea. Mr. CHERTOFF. You didn't know who was on the first floor? Ms. THOMASSON. No, sir. Mr. CHERTOFF. You didn't know if the White House Counsel's suite would be open? Ms. THOMASSON. No, sir. Mr. CHERTOFF. How were you going to get into the suite? Ms. THOMASSON. I don't know. Never crossed my mind, sir. Mr. CHERTOFF, Never thought about it? Ms. THOMASSON. No. Mr. CHERTOFF. Didn't mention it to any of the Secret Service agents? Ms. THOMASSON. No. Mr. CHERTOFF. You had no prearrangement to meet anybody there? Ms. THOMASSON. No. Mr. CHERTOFF. You went up to the first floor; correct? Ms. THOMASSON. Correct. Mr. CHERTOFF. It was by happenstance that you ran into Bernie Nussbaum? Ms. THOMASSON. That's correct, Mr. CHERTOFF. You are quite positive that you and Mr. Nussbaum entered the office together? Ms. THOMASSON. As I recall it, Mr. Chertoff, Mr. Nussbaum and went up to the office together. Mr. CHERTOFF. You recall cleaning people being there? Ms. THOMASSON. Cleaning people were coming out of Mr. Foster's office as we were going into Mr. Foster's office. Mr. CHERTOFF. I want to ask you whether it is consistent with your recollection that you were in Mr. Foster's office for a period of time before Mr. Nussbaum first arrived? Ms. THOMASSON. I don't recall being in Mr. Foster's office before Mr. Nussbaum arrived. I recall going into the Counsel's Office with Mr. Nussbaum. Mr. CHERTOFF. You have that as a memory? Ms. THOMASSON. That's what I recall. Mr. CHERTOFF. Now, once you get in there, where do you go first? You're in Mr. Foster's office, where do you go first? Ms. THOMASSON. I go and sit behind Vince's desk. Mr. CHERTOFF. Where does Mr. Nussbaum go? Ms. THOMASSON. He is walking around the office. He's pacing back and forth. Mr. Nussbaum is visibly grieving. He is visibly upset, running his hands through his hair. His best friend, his partner, so to speak, in a legal sense--it seems to me that lawyers 316 really, when they work together, they think about themselves being partners, and they worked together side by side every day. Mr. Nussbaum was visibly grieving. He was very upset that night, Mr. CHERTOFF. Did you have any discussion with him regarding where you might likely find a note? Ms. THOMASSON. I do not recall having a discussion with him about where we might find a note. Mr. CHERTOFF. You begin by looking at the top of the desk? Ms. THOMASSON, All the surfaces of the furniture in the office, yes. Mr. CHERTOFF. YOU start opening the drawers? Ms. THOMASSON. Yes, I did. Mr. CHERTOFF. Did you move the papers in the drawers? Ms. THOMASSON. No, sir. Mr. CHERTOFF. Were there any particular drawers you opened? Ms. THOMASSON. I opened the center drawer. I opened the drawers on the right-hand side of his desk. I don't recall whether there were even drawers on the left-hand side of his desk. I opened the drawers-I opened each drawer in his desk to look to see if there was something laying in the top of the drawer. My thought process was if someone left a suicide note, they would leave it where it could be easily found, I didn't go through every individual file in his desk or anything like that. I just looked in the top of the drawers and on the top of the desk to see if there was something there that would be a suicide note. Mr. CHERTOFF. Why did you look in the briefcase?