Whitewater Hearings July 25, 1995 Testimony of Patsy Thomasson
Whitewater Hearings July 25, 1995 Testimony of Patsy Thomasson
Whitewater Hearings July 25, 1995 - Testimony of Patsy Thomasson.
Whitewater Hearings July 25, 1995 Testimony of Patsy Thomasson
Senator Paul Sarbanes (D Maryland). Senator Bryan, did you have anything you wanted to ask? Senator Richard Bryan (D Nevada). Thank you very much, Senator. I wanted to ask a series of questions about the temporary White House pass. I had to leave for an important conference call. If that has been inquired of, I will forbear on that issue. Senator Al D Amato (R New York). No, there has been some touching on it, yes, there has been. Senator Richard Bryan (D Nevada). You've gone into that? The only question that I will have is more in the way of an observation. Mr. Watkins was, in fact, in the chain of command, your boss, your supervisor, your superior in the White House hierarchy; is that not correct? Patsy Thomasson. Yes, sir. Senator Richard Bryan (D Nevada). So it should not strike anybody as unusual that in terms of the relationship that you had with him in terms of your professional responsibility, that if he asked you to undertake an assignment, that you would do it? Patsy Thomasson. That's correct, sir. Senator Richard Bryan (D Nevada). I take it that there may be many other instances, totally unrelated to the Whitewater matter that we're pursuing now, when he requested you to do certain things and you did them? Patsy Thomasson. Yes, sir. Senator Richard Bryan (D Nevada). You did not ask anyone else in the White House about it. He was the individual that you were responsible to and accountable to in terms of the office functions that you were assigned to handle? Patsy Thomasson. Yes, sir.
Whitewater Hearings July 25, 1995 Testimony of Patsy Thomasson
Senator Richard Bryan (D Nevada). So, on the night in question here, you received a call, he asked you to check to see if there is a note. You didn't think there was anything particularly unusual about that, I take it, at the time? Patsy Thomasson. No, sir, I did not. Senator Richard Bryan (D Nevada). As you have indicated, you were en route from the restaurant or virtually about to leave. You did so. You went to the White House. You were not in the custom or practice, I take it, that when Mr. Watkins asked you to do something, to check with other staff members in the White House about what you've been requested to do, as a matter of practice? Patsy Thomasson. That's correct, sir. Senator Richard Bryan (D Nevada). So you went to the office, as you've indicated. You checked the surfaces. I take that to be the desk, I don't know if there was any credenza or any other tables, but maybe you could embellish that just a bit for me. Patsy Thomasson. There was a desk, a credenza, a couple of tables in Mr. Foster's office. I looked on all of those surfaces to see if there was a suicide note that he had left. Senator Richard Bryan (D Nevada). You were not looking for any files? Patsy Thomasson. No, sir. Senator Richard Bryan (D Nevada). Of any character? Patsy Thomasson. No, sir.
Whitewater Hearings July 25, 1995 Testimony of Patsy Thomasson
Senator Richard Bryan (D Nevada). I think you shared with us, as you were trying to analyze what somebody's state of mind might be, that you might take a look in the center drawer to see if, indeed, that's where a note or some comment or instruction to one's loved ones, family, or office colleagues might be contained. You did, in fact, open the drawer, the center drawer? Patsy Thomasson. Yes, sir, I did. Senator Richard Bryan (D Nevada). You opened the other drawer or drawers, which, as you indicated, were on the right-hand side of the desk? Patsy Thomasson. Correct, sir. Senator Richard Bryan (D Nevada). You did a very perfunctory look in, without examining the contents of the file, to see if there might be something lying on the top of those files of the nature of a suicide note? Patsy Thomasson. Yes, sir. Senator Richard Bryan (D Nevada). You found nothing? Patsy Thomasson. That's correct, sir. Senator Richard Bryan (D Nevada). That was, in essence, what you were asked to do, and that's what you did? Patsy Thomasson. Yes, sir. Senator Richard Bryan (D Nevada). Then you reported back to your boss, Mr. Watkins, and said, I expect, I could not find any suicide note or evidence of a suicide note? Patsy Thomasson. Yes, sir.
Whitewater Hearings July 25, 1995 Testimony of Patsy Thomasson
Senator Richard Bryan (D Nevada). And the timeframes that you've indicated are approximate, but counsel has told us sometime around 10:30, and I could be corrected, there was a record of a phone call you made to Mr. Watkins. It was patched through the White House system and, thereafter, you came into the Office of the White House, according to the records, sometime around 10:49, I believe, somebody can correct me, and that you were there in the office maybe 10 minutes? Give us your best recollection as to the timeframe. Patsy Thomasson. Yes, sir. According to the records, I was paged at 10:34. According to the records, as I've heard here today, I was cleared into the White House at 10:49, then, once I got into Mr. Foster's office, I was there about 10 minutes, Senator Bryan. Senator Richard Bryan (D Nevada). During this period of time, I take it there was some exchange or commiseration with Mr. Nussbaum, who you've described. My words perhaps not yours, visibly distraught at the death of a close working colleague in the White House? Patsy Thomasson. Yes, sir. Briefly, when Mr. Nussbaum and I were on the first floor when I told him what my assignment was, I told him how sorry I was about Vince, and he just, Mr. Nussbaum really didn't talk very much that night. He just kept shaking his head and shaking his head. Maggie Williams, however, when she and I were in Vince Foster's office together, we did talk about Vince and we talked about how helpful he always was to us and that no matter how complicated we thought a problem might be, that Vince had a way to cut through all the chaff to get to the wheat fairly quickly. He was always very helpful to us and he always had a good way of thinking and approaching problems and so we were really going to miss him, not only as a friend, but as a colleague that we depended on regularly. Senator Richard Bryan (D Nevada). Would it be fair to characterize the reaction as one of great shock? Patsy Thomasson. Absolutely, Senator. Senator Richard Bryan (D Nevada). Was there considerable emotional trauma at having lost a colleague with whom you had a close working relationship professionally? Patsy Thomasson. Yes, sir. As I said earlier, it was the first time I had ever known anyone who committed suicide. I just can't imagine how bad things must have to get in your brain to commit suicide and to take your own life. Senator Richard Bryan (D Nevada). Thank you very much, Patsy Thomasson.
Whitewater Hearings July 25, 1995 Testimony of Patsy Thomasson
Senator Chris Dodd (D Connecticut). Would my colleague yield? Senator Richard Bryan (D Nevada). Certainly. I'd be happy to. Senator Chris Dodd (D Connecticut). I'm curious. In your deposition you talked about the lights being on in the suite. You turned the lights on in Vince Foster's office when you went in or were the lights on? Patsy Thomasson. The lights were already on, Senator. Senator Chris Dodd (D Connecticut). When you walked in? Patsy Thomasson. As I recall, the lights were all on in the suite. Senator Chris Dodd (D Connecticut). Is it fluorescent lighting or is it table lights? Patsy Thomasson. Fluorescent lighting in those offices as I recall, sir. Senator Chris Dodd (D Connecticut). The briefcase was by the side of the desk? Patsy Thomasson. In the knee hole, sitting in the knee hole of the desk. Senator Chris Dodd (D Connecticut). You didn't pull it out. You just reached in or looked. Did you pull it out? Patsy Thomasson. Pulled it out. Senator Chris Dodd (D Connecticut). You just thumbed through it. You didn't take documents out, I gather? Patsy Thomasson. I didn't take anything out of the briefcase. Senator Chris Dodd (D Connecticut). Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.