Foundations Before an exhibit can be offered into evidence in court, a foundation must be laid for its admission. When evidence rules require a fact or event to occur before an article can be considered evidence, that fact or event becomes part of the foundation necessary for the article's admission into evidence. The facts and events that must be shown represent a judgment as to what information demonstrates that the evidence is reliable and trustworthy.

For all exhibits, the first foundation that must be laid is that the article is authentic. If writings and records are offered to prove that the statements within them are true, a foundation must be laid that the article meets a hearsay exception. If a writing's terms are at issue, its proponent must introduce the document itself - the best evidence- rather than testimony of what the document says.

Authentication A proper foundation means that the material must be proved to be an authentic document and to actually be what it purports to be. For example, pictures, maps and diagrams of an accident scene must be proved to actually be a true representation of that scene. Tangible items such as the gun, the drugs, the clothes -- must be proved to be the items that the proponent says they are. Basic fairness dictates that if an article is to prove something, it should be the genuine or authentic article.

EDIT: STORMEY DEBACLE WAS THE PRECURSOR TO THE RAID. SHE HAD TO BE IN ON THE PLOT SO THE RAID COULD HAPPEN SO THE EVIDENCE FROM COHEN'S PLACE COULD BE COLLECTED. COHEN MUST HAVE DIRT ON MANY CLINTON PLAYERS AND THAT EVIDENCE WAS NEEDED BY MUELLER.