July 29, 1994 - Part 4
July 29, 1994 - Part 4
(16:30:48) Dr. BEYER. Thank you. Senator DODD, I want the record to reflect that. I am expressing my own opinion here, but I suspect it is the opinions of most of my colleagues who admire what you do, and I commend you for your career and the work you have done. Dr. BEYER. Thank you. Senator DODD. In the case of both of our Park Police Officers here, Mr. Rolla and Ms. Braun you have become more familiar with this case than you ever imagined, and 1. suspect you now know that Web Hubbell was a personal friend of' Mr. Foster. You now know that, I presume? [The witnesses nod in the affirmative.] Senator DODD. You know that he spent the weekend with him prior to this tragedy, and that, in fact, they had worked together in Arkansas. So that more than just being a colleague at the White House, this was someone who had had a long and very close rela- tionship with the Foster family. Does that in any way, Ms. Braun-and I appreciate you trying to do your job, not being fully aware of who this individual is in the circumstances-now knowing the relationship between Mr. Hubbell and Mr. Foster, in that context does his behavior at that particular couch seem more understandable in a personal sense than it might have otherwise been? Ms. BRAUN. Senator, yes, it does. I don't think 1 have ever tried to say that he did anything wrong, I think at the time I was a little offended. It was very rude. I don't normally get treated that way. I think I did try to look at everything even that even ing in the light of the fact that this was a very serious incident that had occurred, and a very disturbing thing. I think that we used a lot of understanding (ling. It is probably one of the reasons why we went ahead and left without getting a lot of the answers that we wanted. Senator DODD. As I understand, you testified prior to this that this was your second notification of a family in a violent death? Ms. BRAUN. No, it was probably more like my fourth or fifth. I bad a year and a half in the office, and I had done a few previously on fatal motor vehicle accidents. Senator DODD. And Mr. Rolla, I guess this was your first? Mr. ROLLA. Yes. I primarily did narcotics investigations for 51/2 years before this. I worked with DEA for 2 years. Senator DODD. I meant notification of a family. Mr. ROLLA. This was a first time for notification, yes. Senator DODD. First-time notification. Again, Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the responses of our witnesses. I have never had to do this at all. I have been involved in situations where people have been ill, or sick, and there is an expectation involved, but I presume that where a violent, totally unexpected under the circumstances, shocking occurrence happens, that people react. 99 I think Ms. Braun, or Mr, Rolla, you may have said, that people react differently in these circumstances, and that it would not be an unexpected reaction of a family to react in a way that the fami1y, friends, and close friends of Mr. Foster did under these circumstances. In light of the fact that you, Ms. Braun, have conducted four or five notifications, and I suspect, Mr. Rolla, now that you have maybe been involved in a few more since then, would you agree with that? Am I off base in saying that, or is that something that both of you would agree with? Mr. ROLLA. I agree. Senator DODD. Do you agree with that, Ms. Braun? Ms. BRAUN. Every situation is different, yes. I agree, Senator DODD. I thank you. Mr. Chairman, I thank you. The CHAIRMAN. I want to, if you would permit me just to make one comment, too. As I read through this report initially and also followed most of the accounts of what happened, I think in his circle of friends, after this tragedy happened, there was not only a tremendous sense of shock and dismay, but also people were angry at themselves that somehow they had not sensed how depressed this man was, arid that they had somehow not found a way to take an action to head this off. In other words, I think there was an additional kind of self-grief that they were feeling and probably an anger that they did not see the signs, that they did not figure out a way to interpret this and stabilize him and to prevent such a horrific event from happening. I think that is how I would feel. Especially if I had been with somebody the weekend before and maybe was angry with myself that I had not somehow been more discerning or I bad not somehow done something else to try to prevent this. I think that is a natural feeling to have, and it would not surprise me- this is just supposition on my part-that that would have been part of what was swirling through