[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 29, Number 21 (Monday, May 31, 1993)]
[Pages 947-948]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Exchange With Reporters After Signing the Older Americans Month 
Proclamation

 May 25, 1993

White House Travel Office

    Q. Mr. President, are you upset by this whole Travel Office mess? 
And who's responsible for it, sir?

    The President. Well, ultimately, anything that happens in the White 
House is the responsibility of the President. And whenever you've asked 
me a question, I've told you all I knew about it. All I knew was there 
was a plan to cut the size of the office, save tax dollars, save the 
press money. I talked to Mr. McLarty about it this morning. I said, you 
know, I keep reading this; I know that there is a feeling at least, 
based on what I've read, that someone in the White House may have done 
something that was inappropriate or that wasn't quite handled right or 
something. Mack and I talked about it today. He said he would spend some 
real time on and look into it, try to ascertain exactly what happened, 
make a full report to me, which I think is the appropriate thing to do. 
I simply can't tell you that I know something I don't. I literally don't 
know anything other than what I've told you. He's looking into it now. 
He's worked on it quite a bit today. And he's going to make a report to 
me, and then we will take appropriate steps, including saying whatever's 
appropriate to you.

    Q. Do you think that the White House approached the FBI improperly 
in this case?
    The President. I don't have any reason to believe that. I mean, for 
example, there are lots of cases where, historically, as nearly as we 
can determine, the White House, if something happened within the White 
House, might ask the FBI to look into it. So I don't know that. I don't 
know that. And I don't have an opinion yet. I have to wait. Mack agreed 
that he needed to really make sure that he had all the facts down; he 
needed to know exactly what had happened; he needed to report to me. I 
said, ``Look, this is just a simple case. Let's just follow the do-right 
rule here, make up your own mind, get the facts, see what you think 
happened, let me know, and we'll tell the public.'' I mean, there's 
nothing funny going on here. We really were just trying to save money 
for everybody. That was the only thing I was ever asked about 
personally. And I don't believe that anybody else had any other motives 
that I know about. And so I asked him to look into it. When we know 
more, we'll be glad to say more.

    Q. What about Dole saying it has a tinge of Watergate?

    The President. There's none of that because, you know, there's 
nothing like that going on. There's no--no.

    Q. Don't you think----

    Q. [Inaudible]

    The President. We're on top of it. We'll----

    Q. Don't you think a lot of people were hurt by the way it was 
handled?

    The President. Well, the question is whether the people that were 
hurt did anything to merit it. We'll just have to see. I mean, I want to 
get a report, and then I will be glad to tell you whatever I know. But 
let me find out----

    Q. [Inaudible]

    The President. All those decisions have been made by Mack. We talked 
yesterday. We talked again this morning. He said, ``Look, I just want to 
get on top of this. I'll tell you exactly what happened. I'll tell you 
what I think.'' So I'm waiting for a report. And I don't think I should 
say anything else until I know more.


[[Page 948]]



Note: The exchange began at 5:43 p.m. in the East Room at the White 
House. A tape was not available for verification of the content of this 
exchange.