Advanced Search
National Park
(Tape 1) 02:07:53 Grand Canyon of Yellowstone River- Wyoming 02:08:06 Gibbon Falls, Yellowstone Park - Wyoming 02:09:13 Beautiful mountain sunset 02:10:49 Sun rays, mist, woodland, very good
July 18, 1995 - Part 2
(11:00:23) Let me put this into context, for we're not talking about a few isolated instances of people misspeaking. The pattern of what I would have to call deception began during the 1992 campaign with the frantic efforts of the campaign staff to keep a lid on the story of the land dealings surrounding Whitewater Development. As we learned in our last hearings, it carried over to the White House and the Department of Treasury in their efforts to give the President and the First Lady heads-up and tip-offs about the contents of criminal referrals which were being worked on by independent agencies. It then led to efforts to keep friends of the President either in charge of, in control of, or able to influence the ongoing investigations. Now, these hearings will begin to discuss how it led to White House staff frantically searching for the Whitewater files, finally removing the files and not telling us the truth about it, or not telling the public the truth about it. First, whether the files were taken out; second, who took them; third, where they were stored; fourth, what happened to them; and fifth, whether we even have a complete set of files today. As we have already seen this morning, these files had nothing to do with national security; they had mostly to do with the Clintons' political security. That takes me back to what I said at the .closing of the Whitewater hearings last year. We have heard many times about the need for an open Government, about the need to restore the faith of the American people in their Government and about the need to make the public service something that the socalled best and brightest would seek out. Over the course of these hearings, we have seen many public servants, some career, some in their first job. As a rule, I think it is important to remember that many of them are very impressive people whose dedication to what they perceive as their job cannot be questioned. We also saw in a few instances a second phenomena at work, the blurring of lines between the public responsibility of their positions and their private commitment to protect the President and the First Lady, sometimes at all costs. I believe that this is a tone set from the top: that the ends do justify the means, that somehow the public is best served if the President's interests are served, whether that be his private interest, his political interest or the interest of the Office of the Presidency. It is this ethical blurring, coupled with a set of standards that seems to imply if you are not indicted, you are fit to serve, that has gotten several Administration officials, both current and departed, in trouble. 24 This once again leads me back to the central question, Why? Why have sincere people cut corners, shaded the truth, evaded responsibility and occasionally, I believe, outright lied? What does the clear pattern of tip-offs and heads-up coupled now with late night searches, failure to secure Mr. Foster's office, interference ill the Foster suicide investigation and the bizarre control of the socalled official search of Mr. Foster's office 2 days after his death mean? We now know that on Tuesday, March 23, 1993, Roger Altman was made aware of the first criminal referral affecting the President. We also know that within hours of receiving that in-formation, a background article which explained the links between Madison Guaranty, Whitewater and the Clintons was faxed to the White House. What we don't know yet is what did the White House do with this information and how the Department of Justice's work on those referrals was affected. We now know that there was a fierce internal debate in the White House, led by Mr. Foster, over how to handle the Whitewater tax returns. In the hours and days after he died, his office was searched for these files. These files were removed, and law enforcement was not informed of their existence until months later. We know that in May and June 1993, the Small Business Administration was working on putting together a criminal case against Arkansas Judge David Hale and Capital Management Services. A case which would find Mr. Hale accusing the President of pressuring him to make an illegal loan to Jim McDougal and which eventually led to Mr. Hale's conviction; and now, apparently, the indictment of the current Governor of Arkansas. We also know that at the same time RTC employees in the Kansas City office were working on nine additional criminal charges against Madison Guaranty, again touching on the Clintons. We know that the Little Rock U.S. Attorney's off- ice was working on the Hale case in July 1993, culminating in a search warrant being issued the same day, July 20, that Mr. Foster committed suicide.
Eyeglasses & Contact Lenses
Eyeglasses & Contact Lenses - Optometry
Steady Feet Walking High Steel Beam
Steady Feet Walking High Steel Beam Subjective POV looking straight down at feet walking along steel beam high over construction site.
Alarm Clock
Black alarm clock with white art deco numbers reading 3 o'clock (3:00), a fumbling hand (slow-moving, clumsy) reaches in over to the nightstand & turns the alarm off. Similar shots repeated.
Human Eye
Human Eye ECU human eyeball looking around. ECUs hazel colored eye opening, pupil dilating.
Antique Timepieces
Antique Timepieces
July 18, 1995 - Part 2
(11:05:23) Thus, the night that Foster died, the investigative wheels were in motion in three different Federal agencies, all pointing a finger at the political infrastructure of Arkansas. That is why many of us are not surprised that White House office staff searched his office the night of his death, failed to post anyone at the door to ensure that documents would not disappear, and then set up an elaborate system of screening documents which prevented law enforcement officials from getting access to relevant documents. We should re- member that the actions of the night of July 20 and in the days that followed were only part of the larger picture, which continued well after Mr. Foster's tragic death. We also now know that in late September 1993, information on the Kansas City office 's second set of criminal referrals, nine new charges, was passed on to Mr. Altman and within days Jean Hanson, his top lawyer, was at the White House passing on that information. This set off a flurry of activity through the month of October culminating in the bizarre coincidence that the chief investigator on the case, Gene Lewis, was removed from the investigation. White House staff had information on confidential criminal Proceedings, and none of the witnesses who testified before us were 25 able to swear that no information got out. That is why criminal referrals are supposed to be kept confidential, Unfortunately, it is important for the general public to believe in and trust their elected leaders in performing their jobs in an ethical, truthful and fair manner, We have some very real questions as to whether that occurred in that instance. It is for these reasons and this pattern that we must pursue this investigation, issue subpoenas, conduct investigations by deposition and hold these hearings to determine what was going on in the White House with regard to Whitewater. For our purposes, most importantly, we must determine if the extensive powers of the Presidency were misused. I thank the Chair. The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Senator. Senator Sarbanes. Senator SARBANES. Senator Boxer. OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR BARBARA BOXER Senator BOXER. Thank you very much. First, I want to say to Senator Bond I agree with him that we need to practice open Government around here. I mean that across the board, whether it's looking at the Executive Branch or ourselves, and I'll remember your words. They're important words. Mr. Chairman, we now enter year 2, phase 1 of the Senate Whitewater inquiry. What did we learn in year I? We learned that people made mistakes. I suspect that is what we will learn in this phase. Now, certainly enough people are looking at this, Why do I say that? Think of this. Many of the individuals who will testify in these hearings testified last year before Mr. Fiske, the Special Prosecutor, then before the House of Representatives, then before the Senate. Then they testified before Mr. Starr, and now they're before the Senate again. Next, they will testify before the House again, and then, perhaps, they'll testify before the Senate again when we enter phase 2 of year 2. The Senate and the Office of Independent Counsel spent over $2 million on these inquiries last year. This year, we've budgeted almost $7 million between the two. Our report on the Whitewater investment prepared by an outside law firm for the RTC cost the taxpayers $3 million. I want to make a point here, Mr. Chairman, to put this into con- text. Mr. Starr is using more than 50 Federal agents to assist in his inquiry. Fifty Federal agents. Senator Kerry cited more; I'll go with the conservative number of 50. The Unabomber has been on the loose for 20 years. For 20 years killing people, maiming people, but we have more than 50 Federal agents dispatched to Little Rock for Whitewater duty. Duplication and expense. That's synonymous with these hearings so far. I hope we'll change that and move forward. I want to say, Mr. Chairman, I've listened to you. I've listened to the Ranking Member, and it appears to me like it is your inten- tion to move quickly, look at the facts and move on. I hope we can do that. Today, we begin hearings to examine events following the death of Deputy White House Counsel Vincent Foster. I've read the sum 26 maries of all the 50-plus depositions taken for this round. I would like to reiterate something I said in our first Whitewater hearing 1 year ago that happened to be replayed this morning on the radio.
World War I soldiers
War against U.S.
World War I planes crash on ground.
Preview Cassette 97789 Part 1 World War I planes crash on ground.
1950s - Israeli Soldiers - In Formation
Company of adult Israeli male soldiers in formation, some holding weapons; female soldier seen in BG in formation. Platoon of adult Israeli female soldiers snap to attention; some carry machine guns.
World War II Tarawa
ON PREVIEW CASSETTE #991524 Newspaper Headline declares Earthquakes, fire
Bobcat
01:45:52 Bobcat - CU eartuft 01:47:19 " grooming 01:48:47 " CU 01:52:54 " grooming ON PART TWO.
Cougar
Cougar - CU and he's on a rock ON PART TWO.
Bobcat
06:04:31 Bobcat kitten - CU yawning 06:07:13 " " eating grouse and he carries it off ON PART TWO.
Death Ends Dog's Long Vigil
Same as catalog #344044 Shaky, blurry, light in contrast and imagery A Collie dog waits at the bottom of a hospital elevator twelve years for his master who was carried up in the lift to die in the institution and be carried out another exit. Death finally ends the faithful pet's long vigil.
World's Roughest Wrestling Match A Mad Scramble
Shaky, jumpy, light in contrast and imagery A heavyweight mat contest between sailor Jack Adams and Barney Cosmic rapidly turns the ring into something resembling an abattoir. Anything goes even an attack on the referee who is beamed with a chair for his decision.
"Flying Egg" Plane Demonstrated As New Air Fuvver
Shaky, jumpy, light in contrast and imagery Bureau of Air Commerce officials inspect a queer-looking flivver 'plane developed by Hayden Campbell. The inventor claims his machine can be built commercially for $1,500, gets 16 miles to the gallon and will fly 115 miles an hour.
July 18, 1995 - Part 2
(11:15:15) So, whether we put these notes on a screen and hint around that there's a problem, let's get back to the question here, the papers of Vince Foster. Where did we get that note? They were turned over to this Committee by President Clinton's lawyers. They were not kept from this Committee. I think that's an Important point, and when we see documents that say redacted, which means something has been left out, that is part of the procedures under which we are operating, where information may be redacted if it covers other questions and isn't relevant, whether it's a phone call or another comment. So let's not put endless papers that say redacted, redacted, redacted. We have a procedure for dealing with redacted documents. So I hope that what I can do is just look at these documents because they're shown on these screens, and maybe some will give us something we don't already know and that would be very useful to the Committee. Mr. Chairman, I am done with my comments, and I look forward to our witnesses. The CHAIRMAN. Senator Grams. OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR ROD GRAMS Senator GRAMS Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, for, of course, calling this important round of hearings. Some may ask why the hearings we conduct today and over the next few weeks are relevant to the lives of the average American. The first answer to that question is that the failure of Madison Guaranty Savings & Loan cost the American taxpayers $60 million, and there is evidence that the investments of America's First Fam- ily in the Whitewater Development Corporation played a major role in Madison's failure. We owe it to the American people, the people who work hard and pay their taxes to keep Government operating, to get to the bottom of this whole affair. More importantly, however, the testimony we will hear over the next 3 weeks on the events surrounding the death of White House Associate Counsel Vincent Foster will unmask a side of Government we don't like to see: arrogance, abuse of power, obstruction of justice, lack of accountability to the people. These are the real subjects of our hearings. While all of us would prefer not to think that these things go on at the highest levels of our Government, we suspect deep down inside that they do The story you're about to hear is simple, often troubling, some times unbelievable, but in the end reveals why the American peo- ple don't trust their Government anymore. I have just one chapter in this story to tell, but like the rest of this unveiling tale, it contains conflicting testimony, failures to recollect important events and questionable accounts of what really happened in July 1993. Specifically, I am referring to the events surrounding the uncontrolled rummaging by White House officials in and out of Vince Foster's office the night of his death. Or more 28 simply put: Who came and left, when, why, with whom, and what did they take with them? As conflicting as the accounts we are about to hear may seem, there are things we do know to be true. Fact: Vince Foster was deeply involved in President and Mrs. Clinton's handling of Whitewater, Fact- On the night of Mr. Foster's death, the White House Counsel's suite was opened by a member of the Secret Service at 10:42. Fact- On the same night, the White House Counsel's suite was closed by that same member of the Secret Service at 11:41. Fact: During that hour, three Administration officials, Bernard Nussbaum, then White House Counsel; Maggie Williams, the First Lady's Chief of Staff-, and Patsy Thomasson, then Deputy Director of Administration at the White I-louse entered Mr. Foster's office for some period of time. Fact: Despite requests from the Park Police to secure Mr. Foster's office for the purpose of protecting the integrity of the contents therein, Mr. Foster's off-ice was not secured until the next morning. Those are the facts which leave us with a number of troubling questions. Why wasn't the office of Mr. Foster, a high-ranking Government official, secured on the night of his death, especially when the circumstances of his death were not fully known? Why were three White House officials given free rein to go in and out of Mr. Foster's office that night when the Park Police were refuse entry the next day? Why were these officials so intent on rummaging through Mr. Foster's office that night? Why do the accounts of that night by Mr. Nussbaum, Ms. Williams and Ms. Thomasson, conflict with each other? Why did Mr. Nussbaum, by all accounts, other than his own, leave Ms. Williams and Ms. Thomasson alone in the White House Counsel's suite? Finally, were any documents from Mr. Foster's office removed in the middle of the night? Now, these are just a few of the questions left unanswered answered by the depositions this Committee took over the last few weeks, questions that still need answers. It is my sincere hope that we unearth these answers to these questions, Mr. Chairman otherwise I'm afraid that our Government may never again regain the full confidence of the American people. The American people are generally willing to give Government the benefit of the doubt, but when the people learn about how their public officials have abused their trust and assumed the power to Cover up questionable actions their faith in government disappears, We can't allow that to happen
The Laugh Parade Of 1936 - Blind Man's Bluff
Shaky, jumpy, light in contrast and imagery Turn a bunch of blindfolded heavyweight wrestlers loose in a battle royal and the result is shocking, to say the least. The referee's the only one who can see, but he takes a beating anyhow.
The Laugh Parade Of 1936 - He's Plain Nuts
Shaky, jumpy, light in contrast and imagery The year's goofiest diet crops out when an 'Algerian' visitor to these shores warms up a plate of nuts and bolts with a blowtorch and proceeds to feast on the strange assortment of hardware.
The Laugh Parade Of 1936 - Duck Ducks Water
Shaky, jumpy, light in contrast and imagery A duck that won't take to water adds a laugh to the world's store for 1936. The bird is a family and community pet, but it just won't go for a swim or stay under the spray of a garden hose.