She was frightened and convinced that if she testified she would be indicted by Janet Reno's Justice Department. She had seen how Billy Dale of the White House Travel Office had actually been indicted and tried for crimes he had not committed, reportedly because he had gotten in the way of the Clinton administration. She had seen the smears and attacks on Paula Jones. To add to her fears, she felt intimidated by events that followed.
Shortly before her January 10 deposition, Willey came out of her Virginia home to find all of her tires flat. Her mechanic asked, "Who the hell did you tick off? Your tires were flattened with a nail gun."
In another incident, a man called -- supposedly from the local electric company -- saying her electricity would be turned off that evening so they could run some tests. Later that afternoon, she called the electric company to find out how long the tests would last. She was told there was no plan to interrupt service and no record of anyone calling her.
Kathleen lives in a semirural area. The anonymous caller was reminding her that she was vulnerable and alone.
As the deposition of Kathleen Willey got closer, the intimidation increased. One day her cat, Bullseye, disappeared. On January 8, two days before she was to testify, Willey was walking her dogs in a secluded area early in the morning. A man in a jogging suit approached her.
JOGGER: Good morning, did you ever find your cat?
WILLEY: No, we haven't found her yet.
JOGGER: That's too bad. Bullseye was his name, wasn't it? [This shocks Willey, because she has not revealed the cat's name to anyone.]
JOGGER: Did you ever get those tires fixed?
WILLEY: They're fine [Kathleen starts to edge away and look around for help.]
JOGGER: So,---and---[Willey's children's first names]? [Kathleen walks faster toward her house.]
JOGGER: And our attorney, Dan, is he okay?
WILLEY: He's fine
JOGGER: I hope you're getting the message.
Willey was terrified. She turned and ran. The jogger called after her, "You're just not getting the message, are you?"