by The Washington Weekly
December 18, 1995
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Patrick Knowlton was present in Fort Marcy Park the day Vince Foster's body was found there. He saw a suspicious-looking man in a blue car who appeared to be monitoring Knowlton as he walked into the park to relieve himself. What he saw that day bothered him when he subsequently learned of the death of the high-ranking White House aide, but he thought that when he gave his testimony to the Park Police and the FBI that would be the end of his part.
When Ambrose Evans-Pritchard of the London Telegraph two years later showed Mr. Knowlton the FBI report of his testimony, Mr. Knowlton could not believe his eyes. It was not his testimony.
And the Fiske report from June 1994 does not make any mention of the menacing man in the blue car. Not one word.
When Mr. Knowlton gave Pritchard a description of what might have been a lookout at the scene and the London Telegraph published a sketch of this individual, strange people started appearing in Knowlton's Washington DC neighborhood, engaging in blatant harassment and intimidation.
Mr. Knowlton and his lawyer John H. Clarke agreed to answer questions from the Washington Weekly and what follows is an account of the FBI falsification of his evidence, the harassment, the response by the FBI, the Office of the Independent Counsel, and Congress. The sketch of the individual seen by Mr. Knowlton in the park is found in this issue of the Washington Weekly as well.
The surveillance of Mr. Knowlton continues. In the last few weeks he has been followed several times. "Last week I was followed by some people and actually confronted them. We had a strange conversation - they didn't really deny or confirm anything," Mr. Knowlton says.
FBI FALSIFIED TESTIMONY
The following are the specific discrepancies between the FBI "302" report, apparently dictated by FBI Special Agent Larry Monroe on April 19, 1994, and Mr. Knowlton's recollection of what he told the FBI:
(1) Knowlton told Agent Monroe that he entered the park at 4:30 p.m. The 302 states that Knowlton entered the park at "approximately 4:15 p.m...."
(2) The 302 states that Knowlton reported that the blue sedan had "Virginia license plates..." Agent Monroe asked Mr. Knowlton whether it could have been Virginia or Maryland tags. Mr. Knowlton responded that it could have been, but he did not see the tag.
(3) Referring to the man in the blue car at Fort Marcy Park, the report states that Knowlton "could not further identify this particular individual nor his attire and stated that he could be unable to recognize him in the future." Knowlton told the Agents: "Show me a photo spread or a lineup and I could probably pick the guy out." Knowlton does not recall being asked how the man was dressed, but remembers the man was dressed in a short sleeve button down oxford-type shirt.
(4) The report states that Knowlton "proceeded into the park for approximately 200 feet before relieving himself..." Knowlton distinctly remembers telling Agent Monroe that he proceeded only "50 to 75 feet." Monroe several times asked Mr. Knowlton whether it could have been 100 or 200 feet. Each time, Mr. Knowlton responded no, that based on his experience in the construction industry, he was certain it was "50 to 75 feet." The 302 suggests that Knowlton chose the foot path to the right, in the opposite direction from the sedan.
(5) The 302 states that Knowlton "...walked behind the brown Honda and peered inside where he observed a dark blue jacket draped over the driver's seat... [and] a leather briefcase or a leather folder on the passenger's seat..." Knowlton approached the driver's side door of the brown Honda, where he viewed the contents of the car, then walked around the rear. He never used the word folder, but stated that it was either a "hard shell or soft case." He told Monroe that the jacket was hung over the driver's seat.
(6) The 302 states that Knowlton "could furnish no other descriptive data regarding the vehicle or for that matter the contents located within the vehicle." Knowlton states that he also reported seeing two wine cooler bottles on the back seat.
(7) The 302 stated "he identified this particular vehicle as a 1988 to 1990 brown or rust brown Honda with Arkansas plates." Knowlton told the Agents that it was an older car. Agent Monroe suggested that the car was 1988 to 1990.
Knowlton's lawyer finds it difficult to conclude that these omissions and misstatements by the FBI could have been in good faith.
FBI WILL NEITHER DENY NOR CONFIRM ROLE IN SURVEILLANCE
Mr. Knowlton and his lawyer are attempting to determine who is behind the harassment. Mr. Knowlton's lawyer John Clarke has contacted the FBI to ask them to investigate the harassment. Strangely, the FBI seems to show little interest. "What interest the FBI has paid to the harassment he suffered has been belated," Mr. Clarke explains. "It does not appear that they are investigating fully."
Inexplicably, the FBI was not responsive when asked directly whether the FBI was responsible for the recent perceived surveillance of Mr. Knowlton. "The FBI [would] neither confirm nor deny that they were following him, which I believe under the circumstances is outrageous," Mr. Clarke says.
The FBI has denied, however, taking part in the harassment that occurred after the Telegraph article was published.
The Office of the Independent Counsel has not been of any help either. When Mr. Knowlton was called before the Whitewater grand jury after the Telegraph account was published, prosecutors seemed more interested in his character than what he had actually seen in the park.
MEETING WITH REP. DAN BURTON
Mr. Knowlton met with Congressman Dan Burton (R-IN) last week. Mr. Burton has in the past taken depositions from the so-called "Confidential Witness" who discovered Foster's body, and took a 50-minute deposition of Mr. Knowlton as well.
Mr. Burton has been pursuing his own investigation of the circumstances surrounding the death of Vince Foster and has been very critical of the official version of events. "One of the things that has really bothered a number of us in the past couple of months is that we found out, when we looked at the report that was filed by the FBI, that there is [sic] some severe inconsistencies," Mr. Burton said last month.
"I believe it is incumbent upon the Congress of the United States and our committee to call these FBI agents in and go ask them directly face to face why these things are inaccurate."
Mr. Burton is putting together a report that he is going to send to House Speaker Newt Gingrich as well as FBI Director Louis Freeh.
Mr. Knowlton is planning to take a lie detector test.
CITIZEN SUPPORT FOR PATRICK KNOWLTON
Mr. Knowlton is self-employed. But his recently-started export business has suffered from his experience with the government. A subpoena to appear before the Whitewater grand jury prevented a scheduled trip to Russia. The intimidation has made Mr. Knowlton afraid to leave the country. "This harassment has really taken a toll on me," Mr. Knowlton explains. Nevertheless, he has decided to fight back against the harassers.
As this appears to be a case of harassment by the government, Mr. Knowlton is accepting help from citizens to pay his legal expenses....
EXCERPT OF REPORT OF WITNESS TAMPERING
[Excerpts from a sixty-page Report of Witness Tampering that has been distributed to the FBI, the Office of Independent Counsel, The U.S. Attorney's Office, the DC Police, and Senator D'Amato. After a few more additions, the Report will be offered for sale.]
THURSDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 26, 1995:
[Editor's note: the Telegraph story appeared on October 23, 1995]
At around 7:20 pm, Mr. Knowlton and his girlfriend Kathryn K., walked from his home in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood to Dupont Circle, and back. It was not a busy night on the streets. He was continuously followed and repeatedly harassed. Eleven or more men walked towards him, or came form behind, and gave him purposeful, intimidating, timed stares. He was followed on the street, into a drug store, into a restaurant, and home. He was also trailed by a car. A synopsis of this harassment is as follows.
SUSPECT 1
With an aggressive constant stare directly at Knowlton's face, a man walked toward Knowlton and K on New Hampshire Avenue. The man directed his stare at Knowlton's eyes as he approached on their left. As he passed, the man turned his head toward Knowlton, ignoring K who walked to Knowlton's left, and continued the uninterrupted aggressive stare at Knowlton's eyes. The man then crossed O Street, where he stopped and watched Knowlton and K. When Knowlton and K stopped and looked back they saw the man, still standing and looking at them. He raised his wrist to his mouth and spoke into his coat sleeve. This contact lasted for about ninety seconds.
SUSPECT 6 - about one minute later - same man as Suspect 21
Knowlton and K were walking north on Connecticut Avenue towards Q Street when they noticed a man standing at Q Street and Connecticut Avenue, standing military at-ease style, staring directly at Knowlton and K. As they approached the corner, the man focused a vicious stare at Knowlton's face. As they reached the corner, the man pivoted on one foot, keeping his military-type stance, all the while staring viciously at Knowlton's head. Now panicked, Knowlton and K crossed the street against the light. The man followed behind Knowlton, at a distance of about three feet. While walking the length of the block, Knowlton periodically looked back. The man continued to follow, at a distance of about three feet, to the end of the block, at R Street. As Knowlton and K approached the intersection of R Street and Connecticut Avenue, the man veered to the right of Knowlton and K, continuing the stare, at a distance of about eight feet, and again assumed the military type at-ease stance. This contact lasted about four minutes.
[...]
FRIDAY MORNING, OCTOBER 27, 1995:
At around 9:30 am, Mr. Knowlton and his girlfriend walked from his home in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood to the CVS drugstore on K Street in Dupont Circle, and back. They took the same route as they had the previous evening. A synopsis of the harassment which occurred that morning follows.
SUSPECTS 12 & 13
Knowlton and K walked northbound on the west side of New Hampshire Avenue between N and O Streets. A northbound black Altima with two men in it drove by slowly, and the two men stared at Knowlton. A few minutes later, the car came back, southbound, slowed when it reached Knowlton and K, whereupon the two men again stared at Knowlton. Knowlton took down the license number (see note 1).
FRIDAY NOON HOUR, OCTOBER 27, 1995:
At around noon, a journalist from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Christopher Ruddy, visited Knowlton at his home. He was skeptical about the occurrences Knowlton related earlier that morning and the previous night. Ruddy accompanied Knowlton on Knowlton's routine daily walk.
[...]
SUSPECTS 16 & 17
Ruddy and Knowlton continued walking around Washington Circle. As they walked around the Circle, they observed a white Toyota parked in a no-parking zone in the northbound lane of 23rd Street, at Washington Circle. The car was occupied by two men, both of whom were staring in their direction. The two men glared at Knowlton and Ruddy as they crossed in front of them at 23rd Street. When they got about twenty feet past the intersection, both Ruddy and Knowlton glanced back. The two men were still staring. The car started and proceeded very slowly onto the circle. As the car proceeded past them, the passenger gave Knowlton a continued menacing stare. The car went around the circle, out of sight.
After Knowlton and Ruddy walked for about another thirty seconds, the car approached them again from behind, and as it drove slowly past, both occupants glared at Knowlton. The car stopped about sixty feet ahead, then stopped. Ruddy and Knowlton stopped walking. Both occupants then adjusted the car mirrors so as to watch Ruddy and Knowlton. Ruddy and Knowlton walked in the direction of the car, observed the license plate (see note 2), whereupon the car ran a light and sped away.
_______________
Notes:
(1) When he returned home, Knowlton gave the plate number to Pritchard. A journalist from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Christopher Ruddy, referred to this plate in his October 29 article, "Foster Case: Park Witness to Appear Before Starr's Grand Jury". Pritchard said that the license plate Knowlton noted from Thursday had checked out with a law enforcement source of Pritchard's as being a Federal Government vehicle. His source suggested Knowlton was "'being warned, or there was an attempt being made to destabilize him before he appears before the Grand Jury,'" Pritchard recounted.
(2) See Sunday Telegraph article, November 5, 1995, "Death mystery plot thickens," by Ambrose Evans-Pritchard. "Just to be certain we found the right people, we paid a midnight visit to one of the owners at his rented house near Langley. Two Arabs came to the door and Ruddy recognized them instantly as the driver and the passenger of a white Honda that had trailed them. Knowlton, further back in the shadows, said he recognized the driver at once. To our surprise, the license plates were clearly displayed in the parking spot in front of the house, but they were attached to a different car... We chatted on the doorstep... Ayman had the air of a man who had been contracted to do some low level harassment and had now found himself way out of his depth..." Pritchard's investigation has revealed that Ayman is a Jordanian, politically involved in Middle Eastern politics. Pritchard further reports that Ayman was involved with organizing political support for Kuwait during the Gulf war, and supporting U.S. troops.