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{{Short description|1993 death of an American White House lawyer}}{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2019}}
]]]
{{primary sources|date=August 2017}}
Deputy ] ''']''' was found dead in ] off the ] in ], outside ], on ], ]. His death was ruled a ] by all official investigations. However, some conspiracy theorists object to this conclusion.
Deputy White House counsel ] was found dead in ] off the ] in ], outside ], on July 20, 1993. His death was ruled a ] by five official investigations.


==Suicide and investigation==
==Official findings==
Park Police discovered Foster dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head in Fort Marcy Park (off the George Washington Parkway in Virginia) on July 20, 1993. He was found holding a Colt .38 Special in his right hand, his thumb hooked through the trigger guard.
Foster's death was concluded to have been a ] by inquiries/investigations conducted by:
*the United States ]
*the ]
*the ]
*the ]
*] ]
*] ].<ref name="Starrreport"> of the report on the 1993 death of White House counsel Vincent W. Foster, Jr., compiled by Whitewater independent counsel Kenneth Starr.</ref>.


An autopsy and subsequent investigation later concluded Foster had died by shooting himself once in the mouth with the gun found at the scene. <ref name="nytimes_labaton">{{cite news|last1=Labaton|first1=Stephen|title=Autopsy on Counsel to President Points to Suicide|work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/08/06/us/the-budget-struggle-autopsy-on-counsel-to-president-points-to-suicide.html|access-date=August 5, 2017|agency=New York Times|date=August 6, 1993}}</ref>
After a three-year investigation, Starr concluded that Foster's death was a suicide. CNN stated on ], ], "The report refutes claims by conservative political organizations that Foster was the victim of a murder plot and coverup," but "despite those findings, right-wing political groups have continued to allege that there was more to the death and that the president and first lady tried to cover it up."<ref> CNN ], ]</ref>


Subsequent investigations found that Foster was distraught over accusations and criticisms related to the ]. Foster had confided to friends and colleagues that he was considering resignation, but feared that he could not handle the "personal humiliation" of returning to Arkansas in defeat. Foster admitted to his sister that he was depressed shortly before his death, and he sought treatment for depression one day before committing suicide.<ref name="wapo_drehle">{{cite news|last1=Von Drehle|first1=David|last2=Schneider|first2=Howard|title=Foster's Death a Suicide|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/whitewater/stories/wwtr940701.htm|access-date=August 5, 2017|agency=Washington Post|date=July 1, 1994}}</ref>
With respect to the Fiske report, it is interesting to note the following. In August 1994, after a change in the law about how investigations were to be handled, a special arm of the Circuit Court of Appeals took jurisdiction from the attorney general and replaced Fiske with Kenneth W. Starr. Fiske then turned in -- apparently -- his final report, filing it with the Circuit Court. In October, ] heard that Fiske had indeed filed his report and that it had been sealed by the court. The Journal then went to court and asked for a copy of the report -- if such a report exists. In November, the court ruled on the Journal's request for a copy of the Fiske report. Presumably, the court said the Journal couldn't have it. But, by way of an extraordinary ''']''' the court sealed its own response, and it told the WSJ it could not print a story saying what that response was. David Sentelle, John Butzner, and Peter P. Fay were the judges on the court (U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia circuit). Prior restraints are extremely rare, and the US Supreme Court has held prior restraints to be unconstitutional, except in extremely limited circumstances such as national security issues.


Although police found no evidence of foul play, several tabloids and newsletters speculated that Foster's death may have been a homicide, possibly involving the Clintons themselves.<ref name="Watson_suicide">{{cite magazine|last1=Watson|first1=Russell|title=Vince Foster's Suicide: The Rumor Mill Churns|url=http://www.newsweek.com/vince-fosters-suicide-rumor-mill-churns-185900|access-date=August 5, 2017|magazine=Newsweek|date=March 20, 1994}}</ref> Subsequent investigations by special prosecutor ] and the Senate Banking Committee concluded that there was no evidence of a homicide. A final investigation, led by special prosecutor ], also concluded that there was no evidence to support the claim that Foster was murdered. Starr's report addressed several additional questions about physical and forensic evidence that had previously fueled speculation about the case. The report established that Foster owned the handgun used in the suicide, and confirmed that the body had not been moved from its position prior to its discovery by police. The report concluded "In sum, based on all of the available evidence, which is considerable, the OIC agrees with the conclusion reached by every official entity that has examined the issue: Mr. Foster committed suicide by gunshot in Fort Marcy Park on July 20, 1993."<ref name="wapo_kessler">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2016/05/25/no-donald-trump-theres-nothing-fishy-about-vince-fosters-suicide/|title=No, Donald Trump, there's nothing 'fishy' about Vince Foster's suicide|last1=Kessler|first1=Glenn|access-date=August 5, 2017|agency=Washington Post|issue=2016–05–25}}</ref>
With respect to the Starr report, there is another curious postscript. The very same three judges that issued the ] to the WSJ, ordered that the comments of Patrick Knowlton be added as an appendix to Starr's report, over the strenous objections of Starr (who filed a motion to reconsider that was denied). Patrick Knowlton was a civilian present in the Fort Marcy Park parking lot on the evening that Vince Foster's body was found in the park, and had provided testimony to several investigating authorities about what he had seen. In the court-ordered appendix, Knowlton claims that the FBI falsified his testimony (provided in an FBI interview), and that he was also subsequently harassed prior to providing testimony to the Starr investigation in 1995. <ref></ref>


The suicide has nevertheless continued to fuel speculation: then-presidential candidate ] made news in 2016 when he remarked in an interview with the '']'' that Foster's death was "very fishy", and added "I will say there are people who continue to bring it up because they think it was absolutely a murder. I don't do that because I don't think it's fair."<ref name="wapo_delreal">{{cite news|last1=DelReal|first1=Jose A.|last2=Costa|first2=Robert|title=Trump escalates attack on Bill Clinton|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-escalates-attack-on-bill-clinton/2016/05/23/ed109acc-2100-11e6-8690-f14ca9de2972_story.html?hpid=hp_rhp-top-table-main_trump-clinton-9pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory|access-date=August 5, 2017|agency=Washington Post|date=May 23, 2016}}</ref><ref name="wapo_kessler" />
==Conspiracy theories==
===Background===
The ''Washington Post'' noted ] was "summoned" to a meeting with ] in ] at an airport hotel. Armistead laid out an elaborate "Vince Foster murder scenario," Brock said – a scenario that he found implausible."<ref>{{cite journal| url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/clinton/stories/scaifeside050299.htm| title='Arkansas Project' Led to Turmoil and Rifts| journal=Washington Post| month=May 2| year=1999| pages=A24| accessdate=2006-05-03}}</ref> Both Brock and Armistead were reporters who were funded by ] to investigate issues ranging from drug smuggling to Foster to discredit Clinton with the ].<ref>], . '']'', 2000.</ref> Scaife funded ]<ref>.</ref> (later founder of ]), who previously was a writer for the Scaife-owned '']'', to research Clinton for the ]. Ruddy has argued that while he posits no conspiracy theory about Foster's death, he believes a cover-up took place and that Foster's body had likely been moved. <ref name=annonline>, Ann Online.</ref>


==Evidence==
Ruddy was backed by ] and Farah's organization the ].<ref name=annonline /> This group supplied Ruddy with "additional expense money, funding for ] requests, legal support and publicity during his book research of a conspiracy surrounding the suicide of Foster.<ref></ref> Ruddy eventually released '']'' which was published by Simon & Schuster. <ref>."Strange Death of Vincent Foster"</ref>
===Torn note===
{{Quote box
|title = Text of Foster's resignation letter
|quote=I made mistakes from ignorance, inexperience and overwork
I did not knowingly violate any law or standard of conduct


No one in The White House, to my knowledge, violated any law or standard of conduct, including ].
Nonetheless, in 1999 Farah's Western Journalism Center "placed some 50 ads reprinting Ruddy's ''Tribune-Review'' stories in the '']'', then repackaged the articles as a packet titled ''The Ruddy Investigation'', which sold for $12."<ref name="pack"> PublicEye.Org</ref> Shortly thereafter, the Western Journalism Center "circulated a video featuring Ruddy's claims, 'Unanswered-The Death of Vincent Foster,' that was produced by ], chairman of the ] (NTU) and co-editor of the Strategic Investment newsletter."<ref name="pack" /> (NTU's research arm receives funds from Scaife.) Eventually, Scaife became an investor and the third-largest stockholder of Ruddy's NewsMax<ref> ]</ref> and both NewsMax and the WorldNetDaily continue to publish materials that show the Clintons in a negative light."<ref> ]</ref>
There was no intent to benefit any individual or specific group


The ] lied in their report to the ]
Another group is ] (AIM), a conservative media "watchdog".<ref> ''Washington Post'' ], ]</ref> AIM quotes Assistant U.S. Attorney Miguel Rodriguez, who resigned from the investigation, as saying "I knew what the result was going to be, because I was told what the result was going to be from the get-go."<ref> Miguel Rodriguez ], ] ]</ref>


The press is covering up the illegal benefits they received from the travel staff
Besides the official investigations, including ]'s report that ruled Foster's death a suicide, ] wrote a book, with encouragement from ] of ] house stating that Foster's death was a suicide and he found the scenarios were first promulgated by ] who shared ideas with ] at Accuracy in Media, and Christopher W. Ruddy, who was then at the '']''.<ref name="rest in peace"> Lori Leibovich ]</ref> Hines had falsely told "them that there is no exit wound in Foster's head," but Moldea explained, "I don't think there was anything nefarious here," rather Hines "was being approached by reporters and he wanted something to say."<ref name="rest in peace"/> The main proponents of this telling of events were Christopher W. Ruddy of the ''New York Post'', and later with the ''Pittsburgh Tribune Review'' (owned by Richard Mellon Scaife), and ] of the ].


The ] has lied and misrepresented its knowledge and role and covered up a prior investigation
As to what prompted this line of investigation, reporter Dan Moldea claimed in an interview for ] that "Foster had some blond hair and carpet fibers on his suit jacket, and he had semen in his underwear. So, the ]s and the right-wing crowd get a hold of this information, and…they start making ] alleging that the Clintons were involved in this murder."<ref name="rest in peace"/>
Falwell produced the ], which Ruddy was involved with claiming the gun was placed in Fosters hand.<ref name="rest in peace"/> These videos and claims have been "widely discredited" the videos "sophisticated production" served as a reliable resource.<ref name="falwell"> by ] Salon.com</ref>


The ] plotted to have excessive costs incurred, taking advantage of Kaki and HRC
Funding for the film was ''Citizens for Honest Government'', which ] paid $200,000 to in 1994 and 1995.<ref name="falwell"/> In 1995 ''Citizens for Honest Government'' paid two Arkansas state troopers to make allegations supporting the conspiracy about Vincent Foster.<ref name="falwell"/> These two troopers were ] and ] who also were paid for their testimony in the ] (See: ]) claims.<ref name="falwell"/> ''Citizens for Honest Government'' also covertly paid individuals who provided information to media outlets such as the ''Wall Street Journal'' editorial page and the ''American Spectator'' magazine, which named them as sources."<ref name="falwell"/>


The public will never believe the innocence of the Clintons and their loyal staff
], president of Citizens for Honest Government, and producer of the Clinton Chronicles video appeared in its commercials as the "silhouetted individual whom he identifies only as an 'investigative reporter'."<ref name="falwell"/> When asked about the scene Matrisciana admitted he was not a reporter and replied "I doubt our lives were actually ever in any real danger. That was Jerry's idea to do that ... He thought that would be dramatic."<ref name="falwell"/>


The ] editors lie without consequence
===Different theories===
Some propose that Foster was murdered to prevent his revealing information derogatory to Clinton, about ], ], or other matters, or that ] was somehow involved by covering up activities together with Foster before his death. <ref>http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=20741</ref> Others allege a romantic relationship between Foster and Hillary Clinton.<ref name="affair"> BBC News ], ]</ref><ref>http://archive.salon.com/news/1998/05/28news.html</ref> Other critics of the Clintons have made even more lurid allegations, claiming that she had killed Foster herself <ref>http://web.archive.org/web/20060526161938/http://www.drudgereport.com/matth.htm</ref> or had him killed.<ref>http://mediamatters.org/items/200509210002</ref> Apart from the Travelgate allegations, no credible evidence or charges were ever brought forward in connection with any of these allegations.


I was not meant for the job or the spotlight of public life in Washington. Here ruining people is considered sport.|source=<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Zi-xoFAPnPMC&pg=PA281|title=Comprehensive Textbook of Suicidology|isbn=1-57230-541-X|publisher=Guilford Press|year=2000|page=281}}</ref>
With respect to this case, conspiracy theorists are largely divided into two groups. Some suspect that Foster committed suicide in a location that was embarrassing to figures connected to the Clinton administration and that government agents dumped his body in the park to avoid any embarrassment. Others suspect that Foster died from a shot from a small-caliber pistol to the neck and his body was dumped in the park. A book by ] entitled ''Bill and Hillary: The Marriage'' claims that Foster and Hillary Clinton were involved in an affair, and that the supposed affair was related to Foster's death.<ref name="affair">


|width=30%
Three federal judges (], ], and ]) attached an addendum to Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr's Report on Foster's death despite Starr's objection.{{fact}}
|align = right


}}
]-debunking ] ] cites the finding of the Starr investigation as evidence that Foster was not murdered: "If Foster had been murdered or if unanswered questions about his death remained, Starr would have been the last person to want to conclude the investigation prematurely."<ref name="bodycount">"", ] January 2001 Barbara Mikkelson</ref>

A draft of a resignation letter was found torn into 27 pieces in a briefcase after his death.<ref>{{cite news|first1=David|first2=Neil|last1=Johnston|last2=Lewis|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/02/04/us/report-suggests-clinton-counsel-hampered-suicide-investigation.html?pagewanted=all|title=Report Suggests Clinton Counsel Hampered Suicide Investigation|newspaper=]|date=February 4, 1994|access-date=July 30, 2017|quote=...One investigator said he had watched Mr. Nussbaum inspect the briefcase earlier without finding the note....}}</ref> Associate White House counsel, Steve Neuwirth, discovered the torn pieces of the note in Foster's briefcase on July 26.<ref name="Final Report of the Independent Counsel; Volume III, Part E">{{cite book|last1=Ray|first1=Robert W.|author-link1=Robert Ray (prosecutor)|date=January 5, 2001|chapter=Part E: The Discovery and Removal of Documents from Vincent W. Foster Jr.'s Office|chapter-url=https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/GPO-ICREPORT-MADISON/pdf/GPO-ICREPORT-MADISON-3-3.pdf|title=Final Report of the Independent Counsel in Re Madison Guaranty Savings and Loan Association|url=https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/GPO-ICREPORT-MADISON/content-detail.html|volume=III|location=Washington, D.C.|publisher=United States Government Publishing Office|page=277|access-date=July 31, 2017|ref={{harvid|Final Report of the Independent Counsel in Re Madison Guaranty Savings and Loan Association, Volume III, Part E|2001}}}}</ref> After receiving the note from Neuwirth, ] ] handled the note various times before giving it to Park Police Lieutenant Joseph Megby the following evening.{{sfn|Final Report of the Independent Counsel in Re Madison Guaranty Savings and Loan Association, Volume III, Part E|2001|p=278}}

The ] revealed the note's contents at a joint press conference with the Park Police on August 10.{{sfn|Final Report of the Independent Counsel in Re Madison Guaranty Savings and Loan Association, Volume III, Part E|2001|p=278}}<ref name="The New York Times; August 11, 1993">{{cite news|last=Apple Jr.|first=R.W.|date=August 11, 1993|title=Note Left by White House Aide: Accusation, Anger and Despair|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/08/11/us/note-left-by-white-house-aide-accusation-anger-and-despair.html?pagewanted=all|work=The New York Times|access-date=July 31, 2017}}</ref> The DoJ stated that a smudged palm print was on the note, but no fingerprints; they confirmed the handwriting as Foster's.<ref name="The New York Times; August 11, 1993"/>

] ]'s report regarding the ] stated the ] performed a 1995 fingerprint examination of the note and identified Nussbaum's palm print on it.{{sfn|Final Report of the Independent Counsel in Re Madison Guaranty Savings and Loan Association, Volume III, Part E|2001|p=278}}<ref>{{cite book|first1=Dan E.|last1=Moldea|author-link=Dan Moldea|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZrEA8i7z_PYC&pg=PA367|title=A Washington Tragedy: How the Death of Vincent Foster Ignited a Political Firestorm|publisher=]|date=1998|access-date=July 30, 2017|quote="…A fingerprint analysis of Foster's note by the FBI also reveals…that the palm print found on the note had been left by Bernard Nussbaum…."|page=367|isbn=9780895263827}}</ref> Three handwriting experts stated that the note was a forgery, with Oxford University manuscript expert Reginald Alton stating that the forgery was done by a "moderate forger, not necessarily a pro, somebody who could forge a check."<ref>{{cite news|date=October 26, 1995|title=Foster suicide note was a forgery, say experts|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/foster-suicide-note-was-a-forgery-say-experts-1579504.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220525/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/foster-suicide-note-was-a-forgery-say-experts-1579504.html |archive-date=May 25, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|work=The Independent}}</ref> However, the final report stated that three separate handwriting analyses of the note by the ] and the FBI determined that the handwriting on the note was Foster's.{{sfn|Final Report of the Independent Counsel in Re Madison Guaranty Savings and Loan Association, Volume III, Part E|2001|p=278}}

==Conspiracy theories==
===The Arkansas Project===
On May 2, 1999, '']'' published new details on the pursuit of a Foster conspiracy in an article by ], a key figure in the ] and ] scandals whose disillusionment with the political corruption motivating what would come to be known as the ] ended his commitment to the Conservative movement and facilitated public dissemination of insider details on what he described as G.O.P. machinations. The article explains how Brock was "summoned" to a meeting with ] in ] at an airport hotel. Brock claims that Armistead laid out for him an elaborate "Vince Foster murder scenario" – a scenario that he found implausible.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/clinton/stories/scaifeside050299.htm|title='Arkansas Project' Led to Turmoil and Rifts|newspaper=Washington Post|date=May 2, 1999|page=A24|access-date=May 3, 2006}}</ref>

===''The Clinton Chronicles'': A Political Firestorm===
In 1997, crime reporter ] was approached by ], a conservative group whose leadership was impressed by Moldea's published works, to publish a book on the Foster case.<ref name="rest in peace">Lori Leibovich, {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513113126/http://archive.salon.com/news/1998/05/28news.html |date=May 13, 2008 }}, Salon.com, May 28, 1998.</ref>

In researching Foster's death, Moldea found that documents relating to the Whitewater corporation were removed from Foster's office on July 22 and sent to the Clintons’ personal attorney,<ref>{{cite book|first1=Dan E.|last1=Moldea|author-link=Dan Moldea|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZrEA8i7z_PYC&pg=PA146|title=A Washington Tragedy: How the Death of Vincent Foster Ignited a Political Firestorm|publisher=]|date=1998|access-date=July 30, 2017|page=146|isbn=9780895263827}}</ref> and that the most oft-used conspiracy scenario could be traced back to Park Police Major Robert Hines, who shared the idea with ] (]) and Christopher Ruddy ('']''). Moldea concludes, and Maj. Hines publicly maintains, that Hines incorrectly told Irvine and Ruddy "... that there is no exit wound in Foster's head ... I don't think there was anything nefarious here; he was being approached by reporters and he wanted something to say." Still, the "missing exit wound" claim continued to surface.<ref name="rest in peace"/>

Moldea's research sought, among other things, to discover the origins of this line of investigation into the Clintons' credibility. In an interview for '']'', he suggests that "Foster had some blond hair and carpet fibers on his suit jacket, and he had ] in his underwear. So, the ]s and the right-wing crowd get a hold of this information, and…they start making movies alleging that the Clintons were involved in this murder."<ref name="rest in peace"/>

In 1994, Falwell subsidized the creation of a film called '']'' that featured Ruddy's claims that the gun that killed Foster was placed in his hand after the fact, and that Foster's body was laid out to give the appearance of suicide, among others.<ref name="rest in peace"/> Funding for the film was provided by ''Citizens for Honest Government'', an organization to which Falwell gave $200,000 in 1994 and 1995.<ref name="falwell">] , Salon.com, March 11, 1998.</ref>

Citizens for Honest Government covertly paid individuals who had provided information to media outlets such as the '']'' editorial page and the '']'' magazine;"<ref name="falwell"/> and in 1995, made discretionary payments to two Arkansas state troopers who had spoken out in support of the idea of a conspiracy surrounding Foster's death. The two troopers, Roger Perry and Larry Patterson, had also previously given testimony supporting ]'s claims of sexual misconduct and misuse of government resources against ] (see ]).<ref name="falwell"/>


==See also== ==See also==
* ] * ]
* ] * ]

* ]
{{Portal|1990s}}


==References== ==References==
===Footnotes=== ===Notes===
{{reflist}} {{reflist|2}}


===Books=== ===Books===
* Hugh Sprunt,
* ], ], and ]. "''Failure of the Public Trust''" (], 1999, ISBN 0-9673521-0-X)
* John Clarke, Patrick Knowlton and Hugh Turley. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807153440/http://www.fbicover-up.com/proof/index.htm |date=August 7, 2020 }}, McCabe Publishing, 1999; {{ISBN|0-9673521-0-X}}
*] "'']''." (], 2003)
*], '']'', ], 2003.<!-- ISSN/ISBN needed -->
* Clinton, Bill (2005). "'']: Bill Clinton''." ]. ISBN 1-4000-3003-X.
* ] (2005). '']'', ]; {{ISBN|1-4000-3003-X}}
*] and ] "'']''." (], 2001)
*] and ], '']''. ], 2001; {{ISBN|0-312-27319-3}}
* ]. "''A Washington Tragedy : How the Death of Vincent Foster Ignited a Political Firestorm''." (], Inc, 1998)
*]. ''A Washington Tragedy: How the Death of Vincent Foster Ignited a Political Firestorm'', ], 1998 <!-- ISSN/ISBN needed -->
*]. "''The Secret Life of Bill Clinton''", (] Inc., 1999.) ISBN-13:978-0895264084.
*], ''The Secret Life of Bill Clinton'', ], 1999; {{ISBN|978-0-89526-408-4}}
* Christopher Ruddy. ''The Strange Death of Vincent Foster: An Investigation'', Free Press, 2002; {{ISBN|978-0-74324-253-0}}
* Dean Arnold, ''Hillary and Vince: A Story of Love, Death, and Cover-up'', Chattanooga Historical Foundation, 2016; {{ISBN|978-0692744871}}
* David Martin, ''The Murder of Vince Foster: America's Would-Be Dreyfus Affair'', Independent, 2020: {{ISBN| 979-8685698940}}


==External links== ==External links==
*
* (This version only the full report except the appendix.)
* from '']''
*
* posted by '']'' (NOTE: This file does not contain the report's footnotes or appendix)
*
* {{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/12629062/white_house_attorney_an_apparent_suicide|title=White House Attorney An Apparent Suicide|date=July 21, 1993|publisher=Daily Sitka Sentinel|author=Nancy Benac|page=7|access-date=July 25, 2017|via=newspapers.com}}
*

*
{{Conspiracy theories}}
* posted by the ]
*


{{DEFAULTSORT:Foster, Vince}}
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] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
]
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Latest revision as of 09:55, 26 December 2024

1993 death of an American White House lawyer
This article relies excessively on references to primary sources. Please improve this article by adding secondary or tertiary sources.
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Deputy White House counsel Vince Foster was found dead in Fort Marcy Park off the George Washington Parkway in Virginia, outside Washington, D.C., on July 20, 1993. His death was ruled a suicide by five official investigations.

Suicide and investigation

Park Police discovered Foster dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head in Fort Marcy Park (off the George Washington Parkway in Virginia) on July 20, 1993. He was found holding a Colt .38 Special in his right hand, his thumb hooked through the trigger guard.

An autopsy and subsequent investigation later concluded Foster had died by shooting himself once in the mouth with the gun found at the scene.

Subsequent investigations found that Foster was distraught over accusations and criticisms related to the White House travel office controversy. Foster had confided to friends and colleagues that he was considering resignation, but feared that he could not handle the "personal humiliation" of returning to Arkansas in defeat. Foster admitted to his sister that he was depressed shortly before his death, and he sought treatment for depression one day before committing suicide.

Although police found no evidence of foul play, several tabloids and newsletters speculated that Foster's death may have been a homicide, possibly involving the Clintons themselves. Subsequent investigations by special prosecutor Robert Fiske and the Senate Banking Committee concluded that there was no evidence of a homicide. A final investigation, led by special prosecutor Kenneth Starr, also concluded that there was no evidence to support the claim that Foster was murdered. Starr's report addressed several additional questions about physical and forensic evidence that had previously fueled speculation about the case. The report established that Foster owned the handgun used in the suicide, and confirmed that the body had not been moved from its position prior to its discovery by police. The report concluded "In sum, based on all of the available evidence, which is considerable, the OIC agrees with the conclusion reached by every official entity that has examined the issue: Mr. Foster committed suicide by gunshot in Fort Marcy Park on July 20, 1993."

The suicide has nevertheless continued to fuel speculation: then-presidential candidate Donald Trump made news in 2016 when he remarked in an interview with the Washington Post that Foster's death was "very fishy", and added "I will say there are people who continue to bring it up because they think it was absolutely a murder. I don't do that because I don't think it's fair."

Evidence

Torn note

Text of Foster's resignation letter

I made mistakes from ignorance, inexperience and overwork I did not knowingly violate any law or standard of conduct

No one in The White House, to my knowledge, violated any law or standard of conduct, including any action in the travel office. There was no intent to benefit any individual or specific group

The FBI lied in their report to the AG

The press is covering up the illegal benefits they received from the travel staff

The GOP has lied and misrepresented its knowledge and role and covered up a prior investigation

The Ushers Office plotted to have excessive costs incurred, taking advantage of Kaki and HRC

The public will never believe the innocence of the Clintons and their loyal staff

The WSJ editors lie without consequence

I was not meant for the job or the spotlight of public life in Washington. Here ruining people is considered sport.

A draft of a resignation letter was found torn into 27 pieces in a briefcase after his death. Associate White House counsel, Steve Neuwirth, discovered the torn pieces of the note in Foster's briefcase on July 26. After receiving the note from Neuwirth, White House Counsel Bernard Nussbaum handled the note various times before giving it to Park Police Lieutenant Joseph Megby the following evening.

The United States Department of Justice revealed the note's contents at a joint press conference with the Park Police on August 10. The DoJ stated that a smudged palm print was on the note, but no fingerprints; they confirmed the handwriting as Foster's.

Independent Counsel Robert Ray's report regarding the Whitewater controversy stated the FBI Laboratory performed a 1995 fingerprint examination of the note and identified Nussbaum's palm print on it. Three handwriting experts stated that the note was a forgery, with Oxford University manuscript expert Reginald Alton stating that the forgery was done by a "moderate forger, not necessarily a pro, somebody who could forge a check." However, the final report stated that three separate handwriting analyses of the note by the Capitol Police and the FBI determined that the handwriting on the note was Foster's.

Conspiracy theories

The Arkansas Project

On May 2, 1999, The Washington Post published new details on the pursuit of a Foster conspiracy in an article by David Brock, a key figure in the Troopergate and Whitewater scandals whose disillusionment with the political corruption motivating what would come to be known as the Arkansas Project ended his commitment to the Conservative movement and facilitated public dissemination of insider details on what he described as G.O.P. machinations. The article explains how Brock was "summoned" to a meeting with Rex Armistead in Miami, Florida at an airport hotel. Brock claims that Armistead laid out for him an elaborate "Vince Foster murder scenario" – a scenario that he found implausible.

The Clinton Chronicles: A Political Firestorm

In 1997, crime reporter Dan Moldea was approached by Regnery Publishing House, a conservative group whose leadership was impressed by Moldea's published works, to publish a book on the Foster case.

In researching Foster's death, Moldea found that documents relating to the Whitewater corporation were removed from Foster's office on July 22 and sent to the Clintons’ personal attorney, and that the most oft-used conspiracy scenario could be traced back to Park Police Major Robert Hines, who shared the idea with Reed Irvine (Accuracy in Media) and Christopher Ruddy (New York Post). Moldea concludes, and Maj. Hines publicly maintains, that Hines incorrectly told Irvine and Ruddy "... that there is no exit wound in Foster's head ... I don't think there was anything nefarious here; he was being approached by reporters and he wanted something to say." Still, the "missing exit wound" claim continued to surface.

Moldea's research sought, among other things, to discover the origins of this line of investigation into the Clintons' credibility. In an interview for Salon.com, he suggests that "Foster had some blond hair and carpet fibers on his suit jacket, and he had semen in his underwear. So, the Jerry Falwells and the right-wing crowd get a hold of this information, and…they start making movies alleging that the Clintons were involved in this murder."

In 1994, Falwell subsidized the creation of a film called The Clinton Chronicles that featured Ruddy's claims that the gun that killed Foster was placed in his hand after the fact, and that Foster's body was laid out to give the appearance of suicide, among others. Funding for the film was provided by Citizens for Honest Government, an organization to which Falwell gave $200,000 in 1994 and 1995.

Citizens for Honest Government covertly paid individuals who had provided information to media outlets such as the Wall Street Journal editorial page and the American Spectator magazine;" and in 1995, made discretionary payments to two Arkansas state troopers who had spoken out in support of the idea of a conspiracy surrounding Foster's death. The two troopers, Roger Perry and Larry Patterson, had also previously given testimony supporting Paula Jones's claims of sexual misconduct and misuse of government resources against Bill Clinton (see Troopergate).

See also

References

Notes

  1. Labaton, Stephen (August 6, 1993). "Autopsy on Counsel to President Points to Suicide". The New York Times. New York Times. Retrieved August 5, 2017.
  2. Von Drehle, David; Schneider, Howard (July 1, 1994). "Foster's Death a Suicide". Washington Post. Retrieved August 5, 2017.
  3. Watson, Russell (March 20, 1994). "Vince Foster's Suicide: The Rumor Mill Churns". Newsweek. Retrieved August 5, 2017.
  4. ^ Kessler, Glenn. "No, Donald Trump, there's nothing 'fishy' about Vince Foster's suicide". No. 2016–05–25. Washington Post. Retrieved August 5, 2017.
  5. DelReal, Jose A.; Costa, Robert (May 23, 2016). "Trump escalates attack on Bill Clinton". Washington Post. Retrieved August 5, 2017.
  6. Comprehensive Textbook of Suicidology. Guilford Press. 2000. p. 281. ISBN 1-57230-541-X.
  7. Johnston, David; Lewis, Neil (February 4, 1994). "Report Suggests Clinton Counsel Hampered Suicide Investigation". The New York Times. Retrieved July 30, 2017. ...One investigator said he had watched Mr. Nussbaum inspect the briefcase earlier without finding the note....
  8. Ray, Robert W. (January 5, 2001). "Part E: The Discovery and Removal of Documents from Vincent W. Foster Jr.'s Office" (PDF). Final Report of the Independent Counsel in Re Madison Guaranty Savings and Loan Association. Vol. III. Washington, D.C.: United States Government Publishing Office. p. 277. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
  9. ^ Final Report of the Independent Counsel in Re Madison Guaranty Savings and Loan Association, Volume III, Part E 2001, p. 278.
  10. ^ Apple Jr., R.W. (August 11, 1993). "Note Left by White House Aide: Accusation, Anger and Despair". The New York Times. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
  11. Moldea, Dan E. (1998). A Washington Tragedy: How the Death of Vincent Foster Ignited a Political Firestorm. Regnery Publishing. p. 367. ISBN 9780895263827. Retrieved July 30, 2017. …A fingerprint analysis of Foster's note by the FBI also reveals…that the palm print found on the note had been left by Bernard Nussbaum….
  12. "Foster suicide note was a forgery, say experts". The Independent. October 26, 1995. Archived from the original on May 25, 2022.
  13. "'Arkansas Project' Led to Turmoil and Rifts". Washington Post. May 2, 1999. p. A24. Retrieved May 3, 2006.
  14. ^ Lori Leibovich, "Why Vincent Foster can't rest in peace" Archived May 13, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, Salon.com, May 28, 1998.
  15. Moldea, Dan E. (1998). A Washington Tragedy: How the Death of Vincent Foster Ignited a Political Firestorm. Regnery Publishing. p. 146. ISBN 9780895263827. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  16. ^ Murray Waas "The Falwell connection", Salon.com, March 11, 1998.

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