Whitewater Hearings August 1, 1994 - Part 1
Whitewater Hearings August 1, 1994 - Part 1
(11:55:46) Mr. ROELLE. No, sir. Senator SHELBY. Not at any time? Mr. ROELLE. No, sir. Senator SHELBY. Were you aware of this conversation you just heard related? Mr. ROELLE. No, sir. I had left the RTC at the end of December and reported back to the FDIC. Senator SHELBY. When you went over each of the nine criminal :referrals with Mrs. Hanson, who was the General Counsel at Treasury, did you go over them in detail? 26 Mr. ROELLE. I went over about a sentence on each one. I had been given an oral set of general statements about each of the criminal referrals. It was followed up by a fax that I got later, I believe the same day, with a one-sentence explanation of each of the criminal referrals. That is what I bad been read over the telephone, and I briefed Ms. Hanson just on the basis of what I had been read over the telephone. Senator SHELBY. Did you tell her this information was confidential and should not be shared, or was that understood? Mr. ROELLE. I didn't use those words. I used the same words I previously stated. I said that I do not believe it should be discussed with anyone, that it should be kept quiet, that this is not something-it is only for Mr. Altman and it is only an advisory to Mr. Altman. I did not admonish, in any way, or say, don't talk to any specific person. It was a general statement that these should be kept quiet. They shouldn't be discussed. Senator SHELBY. Thank you. My time is up. The CHAIRMAN. Thank you. Senator Faircloth. OPENING COMMENTS OF SENATOR LAUCH FAIRCLOTH Senator FAIRCLOTH. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Roelle, in September 1993, you were the Chief The CHAIRMAN. Senator Faircloth, we're not able to hear you, I don't know if that mike is working properly. Maybe you can just speak a little more loudly into it. Senator FAIRCLOTH. How's that? Mr. Roelle, in September 1993, you were the Chief Financial Officer Senator D'AMATO. YOU might use another mike. The CHAiRmAN. I'm not sure that one's working, Senator Faircloth. We'll get it checked in a minute. Senator FAIRcLOTH. Mr. Roelle-can you hear me now? The CHAIRMAN. Yes. Senator FAIRCLOTH. In September 1993, you were the Chief Financial Officer of the RTC. According to the testimonydou gave in your deposition, at that time you told Roger Altman an Jean Hanson about a criminal referral to the Justice Department that named the Clintons. A criminal referral is nonpublic information, isn't it? Mr. ROELLE. That's correct. Senator FAIRCLOTH. According to your testimony, you told Jean Hanson, and I quote: "We need to make sure these are kept confidential." You also testified, you said, "My advice would be not to tell anyone and that these should be kept confidential, that it was only for Mr. Altman's knowledge and was not for any action to be taken." So you believed that this was nonpublic information, and should be kept confidential. Mr. ROELLE. Yes, sir, Senator FAIRCLOTH. You testified in your deposition, that in September 1993, there had been no press inquiries about the criminal referrals that named the Clintons. 27 You also testified there was no indication that a press leak was imminent. Is that correct? Mr. ROELLE. I didn't discuss the imminence of a press leak. I did say, in - the course of that conversation that in all likelihood, the press would get hold of this and it would be leaked because that was the nature of the RTC. But I know of no leak. Senator FAIRCLOTH. You knew of no imminent-you said, or testified there was no indication that a press leak was imminent. Mr. ROELLE. That's correct. Senator FAIRCLOTH. In September 1993, the time that you testified that no press inquiry bad been made about the criminal referrals, and the time when you have testified that there was no indication that a press leak about them was imminent, there was a meeting where the RTC told this nonpublic information to White House officials. Others have testified that the reason they did this was because of an impending press leak. Does the RTC usually brief people named in criminal referrals if they think there's a chance that there may be a press leak? Is this normal procedure?