July 19, 1995 - Part 3
July 19, 1995 - Part 3
(12:50:19) Mr. HUBBELL. I thought I gave you an example. If Vince had in his office a short list of Supreme Court candidates, and the pros and cons of that list, if I were a White House Counsel, I would not want to share that with an FBI agent. Based on my experience as Associate Attorney General, I would not want to share that. I would want to claim executive privilege on that document and not share it with anyone other than the people who should know what's in that document, I don't know if that's the case, but I'm trying to give you an example. Senator SHELBY. I know that. Mr. HUBBELL. That's the kind of information I wouldn't want broadcast all over town. Senator SHELBY. But what would be wrong with inventorying things together and then saying this item is something, let me tell you what this is without going into the content? Mr. HUBBELL. I think we've discussed that. I have no thought with that process, and I think you and I have discussed that. I'm just trying to give you an example that would give me great concern. Senator SHELBY. You didn't see anything wrong with that process, did you, that I mentioned? Mr. HUBBELL. No, I did not. Senator SHELBY. Thank you. The CHAIRMAN. Senator Grams. Senator GRAMS. Mr. Chairman, I will be brief. I just have a couple of quick questions that I wanted to ask to clear up the time. 132 What time did you arrive at the home of Vince Foster that night? Mr. HUBBELL. I do not know. I assume it's between 9 and 10 p.m., but I don't know. Senator GRAMS. I think, according to some testimony from the Park Police it was around 10 p.m. when they arrived and you ar- rived at the I same time, Mr. HUBBELL. Same time. Senator GRAMS. There was a report, also, that you were on your cellular phone while you were at the Mr. HUBBELL. Yes. Senator GRAMS. What was that? Mr. HUBBELL. The Fosters only had one phone in the kitchen, and the house was quite crowded. It wasn't my cellular phone. I believe I borrowed David's, and Mack's when he got there, and then went out to Bill Kennedy's. There were a lot of arrangements that had to be made. I was responsible for contacting the funeral home in Little Rock. I was responsible or took responsibility for talking to several of the Fosters' pastors. The phone was ringing off the wall with people from Little Rock wanting to know what in the world was going on, and Lisa was unable to talk to them; they would ask to talk to me. So I was on the phone, I'm sure, most of the night. I remember-I think David's battery wore down, Mack's battery wore down, and we were using the phone in Bill's car. But the phone was ringing off the wall. Senator GRAMS. You also said you did not talk official business that night, that was the furthest thing from your mind at that moment? Mr. HUBBELL. That's correct. Senator GRAMS. Also, you said there were no conversations of what to do next on an official basis because you were really consumed in what you had to do that night; is that correct? Mr. HUBBELL. Yes, we immediately the question was how do we get Vince home, when can we get Vince home, what type of service can we have? All those horrible questions I hope people don't ever have to do, we had to do that evening. Senator GRAMS. I'm going to ask Mr. Nussbaum the same question, but don't you find it odd that Bernie Nussbaum, who was with the President in the residence that night and left the President as he left to come to Vince Foster's home, that Bernie would decide to go to the office rather than coming to the home to console Vince Foster's family? Do you find it odd that the note or whatever was so paramount to the family that he decided to go from the President's residence to the office? Mr. HUBBELL. I think if there was a note in Vince's office that it would-I think there wasn't a person in the world who that night didn't ask, Webb, have you found a note? So I think it would be logical, before Bernie left, to go into Vince's office and look for a note. I would find it unusual if nobody went in and looked and saw if there was a note on his desk or not. Senator GRAMS. But you don't find it odd that that was his first decision? Rather than going to the residence with the President, that he decided to go to the office? Mr. HUBBELL. I don't think any of us acted logically, so I don't-I can't attribute the right-if that was the right decision or not. I 133 can tell you that we all were in such shock that Vince would kill himself that we were saying why, why in the world, what was so bad? I mean, we were all guilty. That was the one day that I was in the White House that I didn't stop and see Vince, It's something I live with all the time. So we were all saying why? Is there a note? So I'm confident that Bernie would have gone and looked for a note. It just seems logical to me. Senator GRAMS. I have no further questions.