August 2, 1994 - Part 6
August 2, 1994 - Part 6
(01:25:30) Senator DODD, I'll ask the Chairman that Mr. Altman be given a copy of this-the final version of the talking points. The final bullet on the final version of the talking points for that meeting does talk about the decision that you'd made to recuse yourself from the decisionmaking process. I want you to come back and respond to my question, and I think a question Senator Gramm asked, that when a question was asked on February 24, was that the sole purpose-I don't have the record right in front of me, but the language was "sole purpose" of that February 2 meeting. Now I understand your argument earlier of the difference between recusal and Madison, but the question from one of my colleagues on the other side did not reference the Madison or recusal, but asked the sole purpose of the February 2 meeting, and this talking point seems to indicate the recusal is on there. I wonder how you'd respond to that? Mr. ALTMAN. May I respond now? The CHAIRMAN. I think you should and then we'll rotate. Mr. ALTMAN. First of all, when I called Mr. McLarty to set up the meeting, I told him the purpose of the meeting was to discuss the generic procedures that the RTC would be following in connection with that statute of limitations situation, same ones that it would follow on any statute of limitations situation. I didn't mention recusal. My recollection is, and I've testified to this effect, I've testified under oath, and I'm testifying under oath here today, that this final point was added by Ms. Hanson of her own volition out of a perfectly well intentioned sense, which was to prod me to do it. But I didn't instruct that this be added to the talking points. She did it. The purpose of the meeting was not-was the generic procedures discussion. Senator DODD. Well , there will be more questions about it, but my time has expired. 438 The CHAIRMAN. I do not think it is fair to leave the inference, however, that the recusal was not discussed tit the meeting. It was discussed at the meeting. Mr. ALTMAN. Yes, sir, it was. The CHAIRMAN. We'll come back to that. Senator Bond. Senator BOND. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. When I made my opening comments here on Friday, I chose my words very carefully because I wanted to make it clear that truthfulness is the coin of the realm around here and when you come up to testify before this Committee or any Committee of Congress, you have to be truthful. We heard some interesting statements yes. terday about why Ms. Hanson felt unable to relay the truth to this Committee after your testimony on February 24, Mr. Altman. First* it related to RTC contacts; second, she couldn't get a transcript of the bearings; and third, her lawyers told her not to do so. We don't have time and I'm not going to revisit those points now, it's just they are very troubling. I want to remind my colleagues that this hearings is not just about whether Administration officials misled this Committee on February 24 along the lines of the questions my colleagues already discussed, It's about a whole, unusual, highly disturbing set of events that we now describe with the word "Whitewater." Just today, for example, we learned from the newspaper that the night of the tragic suicide, the Whitewater files were taken from Mr. Foster's office by the First Lady's Chief of Staff and taken to the White House residence and not turned over to the Clintons' lawyers, as we we've been told, but that they were in the Clintons' residence for 5 days. And it took us 6 months to learn that the Whitewater files were taken from the Foster office, then it took us another 6 months to learn they did n't straight to the lawyer. Notwithstanding the protestations to the contrary, it seems to me that an awful lot of people have gone to extraordinary lengths to try to tell us that Whitewater wasn't such a big deal. Extraordinary measures have been taken by high level folks to keep track of Whitewater developments and be involved in Whitewater-related activities. I begin to wonder, and I think my colleagues should, as to why the White House and their top officials have tried so hard. Mr. Altman, I'd like to go back to your first staff meeting at the RTC. On March 15, 1993, you took over as CEO of the Resolution Trust Corporation; is that correct?