July 29, 1994 - Part 3
July 29, 1994 - Part 3
(14:10:28) 71 The CHAIRMAN. Now, we've gone down both sides and recognized every Senator that sought recognition in a first round. To the best of my memory, I know Senator Bond, you wanted a second round, however-- Senator D'Amato would be ahead of you and has indicated that be would like to raise one item. Let me, for the sake of the planning purposes, indicate what I intend to do here. I want to finish this panel while we're seated. I know we've gone on through the lunch hour, but I think it's important to finish. We've got another important panel coming today. They are people who can properly address some of these questions because they include the Park Police and the issues that have arisen here and I want to get to them. So I want to accommodate people's questions, but I want to go ahead and try and finish up this panel. We'll take a short break after that happens for those who haven't had a chance to have a bite of lunch and I want to call the second panel and deal with them. Senator DAmato. Senator D'AMATo. Dr. Hirsch, how did you determine the time of death? Dr. HIRSCH. I didn't, Senator. Our report states that we cannot fix the time of death any more precisely than the integral between when Mr. Foster was last seen alive and when his body was discovered. Senator D'AMATO. No time of death was included in that report? Dr. HIRSCH. Our report states we have no opinion. Senator D'AMATO. Because that would deal with the questionand I won't put it in the form of a question, but I found, and I think you'll find it highly irregular, and I commend you, that the medical examiner who examined Foster's body at the park estimated his time of death by deciding to treat Detective Rose's arrival at the scene as the time. He told the detective that he should Put that down. I don't think you would consider that normal procedures, and I imagine that's why you did not subscribe to that. Were You aware that that 's how he arrived at his initial estimation of time of death? Dr. HIRSCH. I heard that, Senator, and I think there may be a confusion between an official and an actual time of death. The official time of death is when someone discovers a body and says this is a dead human being. The actual time of death may be vastly different, may be different by ears, in fact. D'AMATO. I than you for the clarification. It was just a question the staff bad directed to my attention. I thank you. yield it back to the Chairman. The CHAIRMAN. Senator Bond. Senator BOND. Are you going to go back and forth? Senator DAmATO. I used about a minute and a half Senator SARBANES. I just wanted to follow up on that very point. to be sure I understood it. In other words, the time that the puts on you put on an official time of death, which is the dead person is discovered; is that correct? HIRSCH. Pronounced. This is the practice in most jurisdiction I haven't talked to the Virginia authorities about this, but in 'Pat, places that I've worked, the official time of death is when someone says this is a dead human being. That may be very different 72 by hours, days, weeks, or years from the actual time of death. Senator SARBANES. The actual time of death, your panel was not able to determine that other than sometime between when be was last known to be alive and, I take it, the official time of death? Dr. HIRSCH. That's correct. The CHAIRmAN. Very good. Senator Bond. Senator BoND, Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Monroe, let me go on to another piece of the investigation. Brantley Buck, an attorney from Little Rock, was the one to whom Vince Foster spoke at approximately 1 p.m. on that fateful afternoon of July 20. 1 have in my hand the FBI report on the interview with Mr. Buck. Did you conduct that interview? Mr. MONROE. I did not. Senator BOND. Do you know who did? Mr. MONROE. Yes. I believe it was Special Agent Alex Suggs, but I'm not sure of that, sir. It should be on the bottom of the 302. Senator BOND. This one was left blank as to who. We do not have that information. Mr. MON-ROE. I'm sorry, Senator. Senator BOND. Do you know whether Mr. Buck was asked if, in the course of his conversation, he had discussed Whitewater, Capital Management Services, or Madison Guaranty? Mr. MONROE. I don't know, sir. Senator BOND. Is it the practice of the FBI that if they conduct an inquiry and they raise a question to which the response is negative, it should be noted in this reply, in this confidential memo? Mr. MONROE, I would have put it in, Senator, but I can't say that's policy, Senator BOND. The reason for interviewing Brantley Buck, who may have been the last person that talked with Mr. Foster before be left the office, would be to ascertain a number of things, would it not? Mr. MONROE. Yes, sir. Senator BOND. And one of those things would be the state of mind on which you commented and which the Fiske Report commented? Mr. MONROE. Yes, Sir.