July 20, 1995 - Part 1
July 20, 1995 - Part 1
(10:00:22) Ms. BRAUN. OK. Investigator Rolla and Mr. Watkins and myself were walking up to the Foster residence. As we were approaching the Foster residence, we noticed that what I now know was Mr. Hubbell and Sheila Anthony and several other Members of the White House Counsel and White House staff were coming down the sidewalk toward the house at the same time. We then went up the steps to the house and knocked on the door and were let into the house by Laura Foster. We introduced ourselves to Laura Foster and she went and got her mother from upstairs in the bedroom area. As Mrs. Foster came down the stairs, Investigator Rolla approached Mrs. Foster and gave her the news that her husband was dead. Mr. CHERTOFF. Understandably, everyone was very upset. During the course of your stay at the Foster home that night, did you have an opportunity to interview Ms. Foster? Ms. BRAUN. 1, personally, did not. I had trouble building rapport with Mrs. Foster. Investigator Rolla had a better time talking with Mrs. Foster. Mr. CHERTOFF. How long do you think you stayed at the house that night? Ms. BRAUN. We were there for approximately an hour, maybe just a little over an hour. Mr. CHERTOFF. Were you there when the President arrived? Ms. BRAUN. Yes, sir. Mr. CHERTOFF. Now, toward the end of your stay at the house, did you come to the conclusion that the office that Mr. Foster occupied at the White House should be secured? Ms. BRAUN. Yes. Mr. CHERTOFF. Would you tell us the reason you reached that conclusion? Ms. BRAUN. We had not found a note at the immediate death scene or in Mr. Foster's vehicle. When we arrived at the home, in our brief interviews that we tried to make with the family, we did not get any information that would confirm that Mr. Foster was depressed or had even discussed the possibility of committing suicide with any of his friends or relatives. So I felt that may be a place where Mr. Foster may have left a note, at his office, maybe for his co-workers to find rather than for his wife. Mr. CHERTOFF. Was it your understanding at that point in time that Mr, Foster had been at the office at some point on July 20, 1993, during the day? Ms. BRAUN. Yes. 150 Mr. CHERTOFF. So, as far as you knew, that might have been the last place that he had been before he went to the park and what happened at the park occurred; correct? Ms. BRAUN. That's correct. Mr. CHERTOFF. Now, can you tell us some of the reasons that you would want to look in the office and what you would be looking for, what you intended to be looking for in Mr. Foster's office? Ms. BRAUN. I want to make it clear that I was never at Mr. Foster's office. Mr. CHERTOFF, I understand that. Ms. BRAUN. If it had been myself, I would have been looking for a note, basically, that says I couldn't go on any longer or something to the effect that he had committed suicide. I would be also looking if for insurance papers, things to show that he had his life in order and was ready to hand over to his family. I would have been- look ing for a journal, a diary, an address book-not an address book but an appointment book with maybe appointments with psychia-trists or something like that. I would have been looking for things that would have helped con-firm that this was a suicide. Mr. CHERTOFF. In other words, you'd be looking for everything that would shed light on his state of mind? Ms. BRAUN. That's correct. Mr. CHERTOFF. Would that also include any evidence of some- thing that might have been troubling him? Ms. BRAUN. Yes. Mr. CHERTOFF. Is it fair to say that in looking at the office, you would have been looking in particular for things in his own hand- writing? Ms. BRAUN. Yes. Mr. CHERTOFF. Would it also have been important to get a sense of the actual arrangement, physical arrangement of his papers the office in terms of whether they were orderly or disorderly? Ms. BRAUN. Yes, that would have been helpful. That would have let me know whether he had left the office in a hurry or if he had organized himself and put everything away. Mr. CHERTOFF. Now, while you were at the Foster residence, did you have a conversation with David Watkins about securing Mr. Foster's off-ice? Ms. BRAUN. I had a brief conversation with Mr. Watkins as I was on my way out the door. Mr. Watkins made a request of the Park Police that we not release Mr. Foster's name to the media until they could get somebody to Hope, Arkansas to notify Mr. Watkins family or his mother Mr. ROLLA. Foster. Ms. BRAUN. I'm sorry, Mr. Foster's mother. I, in turn, asked that Mr. Watkins see that Mr. Foster's office was secured so that we could send somebody in the morning out to check his office.