July 20, 1995 - Part 4
July 20, 1995 - Part 4
(13:15:34) Senator DODD. Again, I'm not sure you're aware of what I'M" about to ask. First, I'll ask if you're aware of it and, if not, maybe I'll tell you about it and get your reaction to it. That is, dealing with the cleaning service that had come to Mr. Foster's office and had routinely emptied out wastepaper baskets and whatever else they do when they clean up an office, Were you aware that had occurred sometime between 10:40 and 11:40 that night? Ms. BRAUN. No. Mr. ROLLA. No. Senator DODD. In fact, it did. It goes to the intent issue again, what we're driving at here, and we're asking you to help us draw' the conclusions. Because you are professionals and you deal with these matters, I wanted to raise the issue of what happened here,' and let me just share it with you. That, in fact, cleaning people did come and clean out the office as they do routinely. Unaware of what had occurred, they removed the trash, as they do, from the offices. White House personnel, not at the direction of any outside policing authority, checking with senior people, recaptured that trash and left it and put it into the' Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, I believe is the case. Now, those are facts. I'm not making those up, obviously. Knowing that, without the direction of anyone, is that the kind of thing that people should have been doing in this situation? Is that the kind of thing you would have asked to have been done? Ms. BRAUN. Yes. Mr. ROLLA. Yes. Mr. HINES. Yes. Senator DODD. As you're looking at this question-and Senator Simon raised the issue again-as I understand it, Major Hines, and I'm going to ask Detective Rolla and Sergeant Braun the same question, that as you look now at the totality of everything that's happened here, clearly you've indicated to this Committee that this investigation could have been done a lot better. Though you appre- ciate and understand the venue, the place where the office was and so forth, that clearly it could have been done a lot better. That's the general conclusion of all three of you; is that not correct? Ms. BRAUN. Yes. Mr. HINES. That's our feeling, yes. Mr. ROLLA. Yes. Senator DODD. But, as you now draw that same conclusion, is there any question in your minds about some corrupt intent he 207 or an intent to hide or deceive the Park Police or any other policing agency based on what you now know and the totality of this? Mr. HINES. Based on what we now know, I don't believe that. Senator DODD, How about you, Detective Rolla? Mr. ROLLA. I don't feel comfortable answering that. From what I know, I don't believe-I don't know if anybody--I can't say if people were in that office, and I can't say if somebody removed documents, if somebody did something. As far as a death investigation goes, no, we were not-there was no conspiracy or corruption, but something further, I don't know. I don't feel comfortable answering yes or no. Senator DODD. You wouldn't draw a conclusion that there was a corrupt intent? Mr. ROLLA. No, I guess I wouldn't. Ms. BRAUN. As far as my involvement in the investigation, which was the immediate night of and that morning, I would say no. Senator DODD. Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Senator SARBANES. I yield to Mr. Ben-Veniste. Mr. BEN-VENISTE. So, really, to sum up on this issue, as you walked out the door at 11.10 that evening, the President had arrived, and Mr. Watkins obviously had to be attentive to the fact that the President of the United States was there. You believe you mentioned to him that the office ought to be either locked or the door closed and that people would be there the following day to resume the investigation. That's where this record ends; correct? Ms. BRAUN. I know I asked him that. Mr. BEN-VENISTE. With respect to your view, Major, as the ranking official on this panel, in terms of whether your investigation into Vincent Foster's death was obstructed, I take it your answer is that it was not? Mr. HINES. No, it was not. We had a thorough enough investigation to determine that it was a suicide. Mr. BEN-VENISTE. In connection with the papers that were of relevance to the Park Police in Mr. Foster's office, it is correct that Mr. Braun and others reviewed in Mr. Hamilton's office the material that they wished to see regarding Mr. Foster's diary, his appointments and the related material; correct? Mr. ROLLA. I reviewed Lieutenant Kass' material. They told us we could review what was taken from his office, not necessarily everything we would have wanted. I don't know what we would have wanted. We didn't get that chance. Mr. BEN-VENISTE. You weren't present on the 22nd, Detective? Mr. ROLLA, In the office, no, I was not, Mr. BEN-VENISTE. There were 13 people in the office when Mr. Nussbaum went through those materials; correct? Mr. ROLLA. I believe so, Mr. BEN-VENISTE. OK, You weren't there and Major Hines was not there either, and you don't know what was requested, You don't know whether by that time people had made the request that you said you would have made: let's look on his desktop, let's look in the drawers, let's look around to see if lie left any material and let's look at it. You don't know what they asked for specifically; correct? 208