July 29, 1994 - Part 2
July 29, 1994 - Part 2
(11:44:54) OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR ROBERT F. BENNETT Senator BENNETT. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, I'd like to say a few things about myself No. 1, my name is Robert Bennett, but I am not the President's lawyer. No. 2, 1 will be happy to stipulate that Vincent Foster committed suicide. There was a time when the rumors in the press led me to believe there was some credence to an additional theory. I find no possible justification for that now. I am one Senator who is willing to say that this bearing should not be about whether or not Vincent Foster committed suicide. He committed suicide. I will so stipulate. I will not stipulate that the investigation of that suicide was handled in a proper fashion. I think that's a legitimate thing for us to go into. Now, I see some of my colleagues in the other body saying we shouldn't even be having these kinds of hearings. What a terrible thing. What a waste of time. Why are we here? I agree with some of my colleagues who mention why we're here. We're here because the U.S. Senate by a unanimous vote told us to be here to investigate this. That is not a frivolous reason for the Committee to meet. Why is it in this Committee? I think it's very appropriately in this Committee because this is the Committee that has oversight and a long history of involvement with the RTC. This Committee by public law last year went to lengths to amend the original RTC Act to make sure the RTC would be as independent as possible, that it would not be a politicized arm of any Cabinet level department. And the reason we're here is that we have evidence coming from the deposition that suggests that in this Administration, there has been an attempt to create that circumstance where the RTC would be politicized and run as if it were an arm of the Treasury Department. 30 The eye of that storm, as has been identified, is clearly Mr. Altman, We have two or more versions of what Mr. Altman may or may not have done. Top level officials in the Treasury Department have come and given sworn depositions. We need to find out which version is true. If indeed one version of events is true, then The New York Times is correct in calling for Mr. Altman's resignation or dismissal. I'm not prepared to do that yet. I won't rush to judgment as quickly as The New York Times has because I want to bear Mr. Altman and hear him defend big version of events. But if his version of events does prove to be true, then there are some other people in the Treasury Department who should be dismissed because there's a wide divergence, and we need to find out which one of those is true. If the position of the other officials is true, then I will join with The New York Times and suggest that it's time for Mr. Altman to join Mr. Nussbaum, Mr. Hubbell, Mr. Watkins, and others in pursuing private activities. That's really why this is in this Committee because at bottom, the result we want to have come out of this from a Committee point of view is a reestablishment of the principle that the RTC should be independent, that it should not be meddled with by political appointees in a Cabinet level department and that those representatives of the RTC who appear before this Committee in future circumstances can be depended upon to be frank, candid, and honest with the Committee. Those are legitimate issues. I'm grateful to my friend from Massachusetts who has stipulated that this is a legitimate inquiry because somehow they seem to have lost sight of that on the House side. I congratulate you, Mr. Chairman, in the way you have put this together to make sure that we do not lose sight of the legitimate nature of this inquiry on this side. Thank you. The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Senator Bennett. Senator Boxer,