July 25, 1995 - Part 4
July 25, 1995 - Part 4
(14:25:10) Mr. WATKINS, I recall specifically Mrs.-Vince Foster's sister's husband, Lee Bowman, in Little Rock, and also some-a minister, Presbyterian minister in Hope, Arkansas, and also a Mr. George Frazier in Hope, Arkansas. Mr. BEN-VENISTE. Is it fair to say, then, that in order to get in contact with Ms. Thomasson, that it would have been easier for you if you had a phone number where she could be reached so that you could phone her because it might be very difficult to get through to you either on the Foster phone Mr. WATKINS. Right. Mr. BEN-VENISTE, -or on the cell phone that was being passed around? Mr. WATKINS. It makes-yes. Mr. BEN-VENISTE. Therefore, does that refresh your recollection as to why you may have left a message on the pager that Ms. Thomasson ought to report with a phone number at whatever location she was at? Mr. WATKINS. As I said earlier, I don't recall specifically, but it very well could have been the reason. The phone was awfully tied up. I didn't have a dependable phone, as far as my cellular phone, so it may very well have been the case. 291 Mr. BEN-VENISTE. Now, you weren't canvassing the countryside to find who was closest to the White House or who was furthest away or anything like that at the time? Mr. WATKINS. No, sir. The only person I was interested in was Patsy. Mr. BEN-VENISTE. YOU weren't standing there with a stopwatch trying to record who got back to you in what time? Mr. WATKINS. No, not at all. Mr. BEN-VENISTE. So that your recollections of the time intervals involved are, at best, an approximation. Mr. WATKINS. Yes, and that's what I've said, I believe. Mr. BEN-VENISTE. So, if we accept the electronic records that reflect that the pager message was left at 10:34 and that Ms. Thomasson entered the White House approximately 15 minutes later, would that do great violence to your understanding of what occurred that evening? Mr. WATKINS. Not in general, no, no. Mr. BEN-VENISTE. So she got back to you, you had the conversation, and she headed off to the White House arriving there within minutes. Mr. WATKINS. Yes. Mr. BEN-VENISTE. I have nothing further. The CHAIRMAN. Senator Hatch. OPENING COMMENTS OF SENATOR ORRIN G. HATCH Senator HATCH. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I wish to focus on any obstruction of justice that may have occurred during the White House's actions immediately following Mr. Foster's death. Now, I recognize that the Justice Department decided not to prosecute any White House officials for obstruction. However, because the Department chooses to exercise its discretion to prosecute in this manner does not mean that there was no obstruction, that no Federal laws were violated. This is especially true in light of the information that has come forward today and last week that possible evidence in Mr. Foster's burn bag was destroyed, that Government officials searched Mr. Foster's office before Federal officials or Federal investigators could arrive, and that White House officials prevented Justice Department lawyers from searching Mr. Foster's papers. This Committee, it seems to me, must explore whether there has been an effort to impede the enforcement of the law by White House officials. Now, it's important that these hearings make clear the exact facts surrounding the events around Mr. Foster's death. But we must ask the White House officials who took these steps whether they sought to "influence, obstruct, or impede the due and proper administration of the law" by the Justice Department in violation of Federal obstruction of justice Statute 18, U.S.C. section 1505. We must also ask whether those who burned bags or searched Mr. Foster's office or excluded Federal investigators from the office were ordered, persuaded or misled into doing so by their superiors. We must also ask whether, those superiors may have ordered these actions with the intent- one, to withhold documents and records from the Justice Department; two, to "alter, destroy, mutilate 292 or conceal" these documents or other objects needed for the inves- tigation; or, three, "to hinder, delay or prevent the Communication to a law enforcement official of information relating to the commission or possible commission of a Federal offense" in violation of 18 U.S.C. section 1512.