July 20, 1995 - Part 3
July 20, 1995 - Part 3
(11:30:01)(tape #10117 begins) investigation at the White House office that day, what you would call normal procedure? Mr. HINES. Any time you have a suicide of such a high member of the White House staff, I don't think any of that investigation would be normal. Senator SHELBY. Because of the high rank Mr. HINES. Because of the high-ranking figure Senator SHELBY. -and where he worked? Mr. HINES. -and where he worked, yes. Senator SHELBY. Do you know who ultimately went into the office and conducted a search or tried to conduct a search from the Park Police or the FBI? (11:30:36) Mr. HINES. I understand there was a host of several people to go into the office and examine the office. However, they did not search or read any paper, to my knowledge, or any piece of evidence. Senator SHELBY. Do you know from your knowledge that Mr. Nussbaum was in that office at the time-was one of the seven people, in other words, in the office when the investigation contin- ued? Was Mr. Nussbaum one of the seven people in the office? Mr. HINES. Yes, he was one of the people in the office. Senator SHELBY. Did he go through documents or say that this is personal and this is something you can look at? How did he help orchestrate what was going on in the office? Mr. HINES. Senator, I do not have any firsthand knowledge, only reading the reports and what was told to me by our investigators As you described it, that's how he conducted the examination. (11:31:43)(tape #10116 ends) Senator SHELBY. Were you concerned about the inability of the Park Police and the FBI to get into that office to complete your investigation? Mr. HINES. At that time I did have some concerns. Senator SHELBY. What were those concerns? That this was unusual behavior? Mr. HINES. There were concerns because we were there to look for a limited scope of the reasons that Vince Foster would take his own life. We had to determine did he have any motive or reason, the state of his mind, and, at the same time when we determined that, we could also rule out that there might have been foul play 173 involved. So it was at that time that I had concern on the next 2 days after his suicide. Senator SHELBY. Did you have a conversation with Captain Hume sometime after July 22, 1993 regarding how the search was actually conducted in contradiction to the agreement? Mr. HINES. I didn't know if it was in contradiction to an agreement, but Captain Hume and I did talk about the conduct of the search. Senator SHELBY. What did he tell you? Mr. HINES. He told me, as we explained, that Mr. Nussbaum handled all the papers and said this is private, this is public, this is lawyer work, and piled them up in stacks like that. Senator SHELBY. How long did they stay in the office, there in Mr. Foster's office? Mr. HINES. I do not recall. Senator SHELBY. You don't know if it was hours or minutes or what, do you? Mr. HINES. I think it was hours, but I don't recall. Senator SHELBY. In other words, Mr. Hines, did Mr. Hume tell you that, basically, the FBI and the Park Police were not allowed to look at hardly anything? Mr. HINES. That's what he told me. Senator SHELBY. OR In other words, it wasn't much of an examination of the office, was it? Mr. HINES. From his perception, no. Senator SHELBY. What's Mr. Hume's position with the Park Police? Mr. HINES. Mr. Hume is the Assistant Commander of the Criminal Investigations Branch. Senator SHELBY. Is he highly experienced in these types of inves- tigations, criminal investigations or suicide investigations? Mr. HINES. Yes, he is. Senator SHELBY. Is he still with the Park Police? Mr. HINES. Yes, he is. Senator SHELBY. Does he have an excellent reputation as a police officer with the Park Police? Mr. HINES. Yes, he does. He is a very good investigator. Senator SHELBY. Do you know or have you heard of an FBI agent named Scott Salter? Mr. HINES. Only in the reports that I've read. Senator SHELBY. You've read about it and you've read a report where his name was mentioned? Mr. HINES. Yes, I have. Senator SHELBY. Do you know if he was accused by the White House Counsel, Mr. Cliff Sloan, of trying to peek at documents on the desk when he merely stood up to stretch during Mr. Nuss- baum's search of the office? Mr. HINES. Yes, the first I heard of that was when I read it in the paper. Senator SHELBY. Do you hear many complaints like that dealing with the FBI? Mr. HINES. No, I haven't. 174 Senator SHELBY. Would you characterize the interference or the