July 29, 1994 - Part 5
July 29, 1994 - Part 5
(16:35:30) (End of tape #10054) some of those people at that moment. But that is strictly my opinion. Senator DODD. Mr, Chairman, I think that is a very astute observation and I would agree with that, as well. The CHAIRMAN. Senator Mack. Senator MACK. I first want to say that there may be the impression here that we are trying to suggest that you all have done a bad job. That is not what we are doing at all. I am simply trying to find out whether there was any "pressure" applied . I can only imagine bow I would have reacted if I had beer, in Your Position and the President of the United States showed up at the investigation scene. I think that would have ended my pursuing anything at that time. Did you get a sense when lie walked in that you were not needed there any longer? Ms. BRAuN Senator, that is correct. As a matter of fact, after the President got there we stayed for a few minutes, and we realized that there wasn't going to be much more information that we were able to gather at that time, so we left. 100 Senator MACK. Again, I do not fault you for that. We are talking about the President of the United States. So I guess the word I would use is not ."pressure" but in a sense "intimidated." Ms. BRAUN. Intimidating, awestruck, maybe. Senator DODD. Would you repeat that? I am sorry, I did not hear that. The CHAIRMAN. Awestruck, she said. But you know, Senator Mack, if you will permit me, intimidation carries two connotations. One is that somebody comes up and tries to strong-arm somebody, and the other is that somebody, in and of themselves, is intimidated in a sense by the arrival of a powerful person. And I think Senator MACK. Mr. Chairman, may I ask you a question? The CHAIRMAN. Sure. Senator MACK. How are we going to conduct these hearings? Am I going to be allowed to pursue questions The CHAIRMAN. Of course. Senator MACK. -with the witness The CHAIRMAN. Of course you are. Senator MACK. -without interruption from the Chairman? The CHAIRMAN. Absolutely. And I would never be discourteous to the Senator from Florida, as he knows. Senator MACK. I know that, but I just want to reaffirm what Senator DODD. I would say to my friend, if there are going to be statements made that some of us disagree with, we are going to challenge those statements. Senator MACK. You have your 7 minutes. Ms. Braun, is it normal for the police to issue a press release on a death within Park bounds? Ms. BRAUN. Yes, sir, it is. Senator MACK. What happened in this ease? Ms. BRAUN. We were requested to hold off on making our press release so that the family could get a person to Mr. Foster's mother in Hope, Arkansas, so that they could do the notification in person, and she would not have to bear about it over the television. Senator MACK. Was any press release sent out? Ms, BRAUN, By the Park Police? Senator MACK. Well, let me ask it this way: Did you, or the White House, send out the press release? Ms. BRAUN. Before we returned to the office, or I guess shortly after I returned to the office, I was advised that a statement had already been released by the White House. Senator MACK. Is that usual? Ms. BRAUN. No. Senator MACK. Mr. Rolla, in your deposition you stated that someone was very interested in picking up Mr. Foster's personal papers, and they called you at home and wanted to break your office desk open. Is that an accurate statement? Mr. ROLLA. No, not really. Not his personal papers. His personal items which included Senator MACK. No one said to you that they were going to break your desk open? Mr. ROLLA. The whole statement-do you want the whole statement? 101 Senator MACK. I just was asking the question about desk open. breaking the Mr. ROLLA. There's two parts: personal papers, you said. That's not correct. Senator MACK. OK. what were the papers, then? Mr. ROLLA. The personal "effects," which were, I believe, a wristwatch and two rings, and his wallet, which contained around $280, a number of credit cards, identification, and miscellaneous personal papers. And Xerox copies had already been made of everything that was in his wallet. Senator MACK. And the desk? Mr. ROLLA. The evidence had been put into a locked locker that I had a key to, only that key was locked in my desk, and I was at home. I was advised that someone from the White House was coming down. They wanted to get the personal effects because President Clinton wanted to present them to Mrs. Foster before she left town, or for whatever reason, President Clinton wanted to present the personal effects to Mrs. Foster.