July 18, 1995 - Part 2
July 18, 1995 - Part 2
(11:50:28) We will find conflicts. They have been referred to by the Members here already. That always happens in any series of dramatic events. I wrote a biography of an abolitionist who was killed by a mob in 1837, Elijah Lovejoy. People who were there at the same spot, saw the same thing, told different stories. We have the same kind of experience with the Lincoln assassination and the Kennedy assassination, and people are still writing stories about a conspiracy in terms of the Lincoln assassination and the Kennedy assassination. I think the basic question is was there a conspiracy to cover up? Since I have been designated to be on this Committee, I have read a great deal more than I anticipated reading about Whitewater. My initial judgment is that mistakes were made, but that there has been no conspiracy to cover up. I could be wrong in that judgment, but I think that's the basic question that we face here, and that's what we ought to approach, and we ought to follow your admonition as you opened it, Mr. Chairman, that we try not to make this a partisan affair. That's not going to be easy, but I hope we can do that. If we do, we will serve the American people well, and if we do, I will tell you afterwards I voted wrong when I voted against creating this Committee. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The CHAIRMAN. Senator, thank you for your very thoughtful statement. That is not to mean that all of our other colleagues have not made thoughtful statements. Senator Murkowski. OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR FRANK H. MURKOWSKI Senator MURKOWSKI. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I want to thank you and Senator Dole for appointing me to be a Member of this Special Committee. It's my hope that the Committee will provide a service to the public in finally resolving hopefully most, if not all, of the issues relating to Whitewater, and finally putting to rest the questions surrounding the death of White House Counsel Vincent Foster. When the United States Park Service Police discovered the body of Vincent Foster on the Federal park land in Virginia, many questions were raised about the Park Service's handling of the investigation At that time I was the Ranking Member of the Energy Subcommittee with jurisdiction over the Park Service. At that time I tried to get the Subcommittee to make some inquiries and potentially hold some hearings relative to the jurisdiction which we had. The Park Service Police declined, saying that the matter was under the Department of Justice and, therefore, was out of their area of jurisdiction. 38 Mr. Chairman, there have been numerous stories in the press as to the events surrounding the death of Vincent Foster, who did what in the White House in the hours and days following his death. What we do know is certain, that the Federal law enforcement personnel, including the Park Service Police, the FBI and the Justice Department, were impeded by the White House in conducting their investigation. Law enforcement officers were denied access to documents In Vince Foster's office. Instead, all the documents in his office were screened by Bernard Nussbaum, many of which were packaged in boxes and sent to the Clintons' personal living quarters. As evidence will show, Bernard Nussbaum and other White House officials visited Foster's office soon after his death in an effort to locate a note that might explain his motive for committing suicide. Law enforcement professionals know that in the vast majority of suicides, a note is left and the absence of such a note could be an indicator of some other motive.