August 9, 1995 - Part 6
August 9, 1995 - Part 6
(15:40:35) Senator DODD. Are there any other aspects of this, with the benefit now of some weeks and months looking back-and I realize the red light is on-but just to finish this thought, and I have read your opening statement carefully and listened to it carefully, and your last line of "no regrets," and I appreciate the emotions behind. that statement, but I wonder if there are other aspects of this that,? you think may be worthwhile to share with this Committee as to. what-and again, no one is suggesting the 20/20 hindsight view, but in looking back on some of these matters and how they were. handled, would you do anything else differently? Mr. NUSSBAUM. Well, yes. As I said in my statement and I said before to Senator Simon, I would have looked at the bottom of the briefcase and I would have scooped out the yellow pieces of paper. I am sorry that they weren't found on July 22. 1 am sorry for the reasons I gave to Senator Simon. I am sorry because it has created some sort of aura of suspicion. That was a mistake. We looked at the trash. We looked at the burn bag, We looked at all the pieces of paper in the office. But I didn't see those little yellow scraps, and I didn't pull them out. I am sorry about that. Senator DODD. Let me ask you last, and the heart of the question, I suppose, when it comes to this issue of the question of how the search was done. Now, you outlined options. Senator SARBANES. Chris, we are trying to watch the clock. Senator DODD. I apologize. Senator SARBANES. I think we had better stick to the clock. Senator DODD. I will come back to that. The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Chertoff. Mr. CHERTOFF. I just want, Mr. Nussbaum, since I began with page 406 and 407 and you then moved to page 411, to include the middle part in there, so that we can capture a sense of, and understand the dynamics going on in the deposition. Now, you volunteered the answer initially in response to the question about whether official documents were commingled in files. You volunteered the answer at line 22, "And we made an effort to send over solely personal records, and actually one record was sent over and returned." Right? Then I think we read down to line 15 at page 407. 1 would like to ask you to read from line 16, page 407, up to the point that you were reading from when you supplemented your answer, which I think was the very beginning of page 411. Why don't you read that in now in its entirety? Mr. NUSSBAUM. Starting where? Mr. CHERTOFF. Starting at page 407 at line 16, which is the point at which I think we stopped, and then concluding at the point where you began again, which was at the top of page 411, or actually I think it was on page 411 at line 9. So why don't you read that middle portion? Then there will be no question that we have the complete picture of what the first answer was, what the answers were then in the middle and where the answers ended up. 1281 OK? We are putting it on the thing, and we will follow along. Page 407, line 16. Mr. NUSSBAUM. Page 407: Question: But you are quite sure Ms. Williams returned the document? Answer: No, I am not quite sure Ms. Williams returned the document. I believe Ms. Williams returned the document. A residence file was returned. There was a file that was returned because we were making an effort to send over solely per sonal documents which had been used, yes, which were Mr. CHERTOFF. Which were in the White House? Mr. NUSSBAUM. Yes. Excuse me. which were in the White House Counsel's Office because there was an official purpose The purpose was now over. Vince Foster was dead. We weren't going to be using those files now, so we sent over the personal records to the Clintons and their personal attorneys. Question' Did Ms. Williams tell you who had made the decision to return the document? Answer: No. Question: Did she say anything about how she came to return it? Answer: It was some statement merely that this concerns the residence, It was not really a private file, although the Clintons live in the residence. And then my attorney asked, "Can we take a break?" We took a break. Mr. CHERTOFF. Wait. Now, read it, please, Mr. Nussbaum, Mr. NUSSBAUM. You want me to read it? Mr. CHERTOFF. Yes, please. Mr. NUSSBAUM. Sure. Mr. PEDOWITZ. Can we take a break for a minute? Mr. CHERTOFF. Can I hear an answer to the question? Mr. NUSSBAUM. And, consequently, the documents should remain in the White House Counsel's Office, Mr. CHERTOFF, Can you remember any discussion with Ms. Williams concerning this document when she returned the document? Mr. PEDOWITZ. I would really like to talk to my client for a moment, and he will answer the question. [Witness conferred with counsel.) Mr. CHERTOFF. You had an opportunity to consult with counsel? Mr. NUSSBAUM. Yes.