July 18, 1995 - Part 1
July 18, 1995 - Part 1
(10:10:39) Mr. HUBBELL. If I had the time and the resources. Senator BOND. If there were items in there that you felt might be within the scope of the request, but would be subject to a privilege, you would indicate a description of the document without the content and indicate that it was privileged? Mr. HUBBELL. That's the way it's handled in a lot of civil litigation, yes, sir. Senator BOND. Are you aware of any documentation made of the contents of Mr. Foster's office? Mr. HUBBELL. Not one way or the other, Senator BOND. Are you aware of any notes taken by the Associate White House Counsel and Mr. Foster's attorney after the death? Mr. HUBBELL. Not one way or the other, Senator. Senator BOND. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Senator Bond. We'll return to this side because we only have a minute left. Senator Kerry. OPENING COMMENTS OF SENATOR JOHN F. KERRY Senator KERRY. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Hubbell, you were not really directly involved in any of the ctual search for any files in Mr. Foster's office; correct? 84 Mr. HUBBELL. That's correct. Senator KERRY. You, in effect, took yourself completely out of the investigation portion with respect to the office; correct? Mr. HUBBELL. That's correct, Senator. Senator KERRY. You issued no orders with respect to the search?, Mr. HUBBELL. I was acting as a family friend from the moment., I heard of Vince's death, and I don't believe I issued any orders. Senator KERRY. So, essentially, any questions that have been asked of you with respect to the search of the office, whatever you know, you only know as a secondhand matter; correct? Mr. HUBBELL. Regarding Vince's office, that's correct. Senator KERRY. Do you, as a matter of fact, now know that the' Park Police succeeded in seeing each file that they wanted to see? Mr. HUBBELL. I don't know one way or the other. Senator KERRY. You have no knowledge whatsoever? Mr. HUBBELL. I do not. Senator KERRY. You can't shed any light on the central question that's on this Committee about the handling of the documents? Mr. HUBBELL. That's correct. Senator KERRY. Now, at some point prior to coming to Washington during the course of the campaign, you came to have possession of the so-called Whitewater files; correct? Mr. HUBBELL. No, I don't know what people mean by Whitewater file, Senator KERRY. You had a file that was built up in the course of the campaign to respond to questions during the campaign? Mr. HUBBELL. I had a file that had been assimilated by the campaign that was labeled Whitewater, but I don't necessarily-and I'm sure that was not all the Whitewater files. Senator KERRY. But whatever you had, were you the designated holder, in a sense, of the campaign's accrued information on this issue? Mr. HUBBELL. That's correct. Senator KERRY, It was an issue that was brought up several times during the course of the campaign and the campaign needed to respond? Mr. HUBBELL. That's correct. Senator KERRY. You were the central repository of that information? Mr. HUBBELL. After the election, yes. Senator KERRY. After the election you took that central repository and you put it in your home? Mr. HUBBELL. That's correct. Senator KERRY. After you put it in your home in Little Rock, at some point it came to be in your home in Washington? Mr. HUBBELL. That is correct. Senator KERRY. But it never went to the Justice Department? Mr. HUBBELL. Never went to the Justice Department. Senator KERRY. It never went to Vince Foster's office? Mr. HUBBELL. No, it did not. Senator KERRY. You never had a conversation with Vince Foster about the files that you had, did you? Mr. HUBBELL. Vince was aware that I had the campaign files, but not what they were. 85 Senator KERRY. You never gave him any portion of them? Mr. HUBBELL. No, I did not. Senator KERRY. Did Vince ever call you and ask you a question about your files? Mr. HUBBELL. No, Vince did not. Senator KERRY. In effect, while you were the central repository of this information in the course of the campaign and retained all of the files from the campaign, which was about as heated and as intense a period of scrutiny as you could find, those files never found their way into Vince Foster's hands? Mr. HUBBELL. That's correct. Senator KERRY. Nor to the White House? Mr. HUBBELL. Nor to the White House, except for one file that's not related to Whitewater in any way. Senator KERRY. Now, it's my understand ing-again, this is secondhand for you, it's secondhand for all of us, but with respect to the question Senator Shelby was asking, it's my understanding that the Park Police were not there to specifically look at a Whitewater file?