August 1, 1994 - Part 3
August 1, 1994 - Part 3
(13:40:32) Ms. KuLKA. That's correct. The CHAIRMAN. Was recusal, which was on the briefing sheet, discussed during this 4 to 6 hours with Mr. Altman? MS. KULKA. Yes. The CHAIRMAN. To what length? I'm asking you to give me an estimate. You obviously don't have a stopwatch. Ms. KULKA. We probably may have spent 15 or 20 percent of the time that we discussed bow we would respond to all requests on Madison on the recusal issue. The CHAIRMAN. Wouldn't it then have been-you did some of this briefing, I think, even the day before the hearing. Am I correct in that? Ms. KULKA. I think-1 can't recall. It was Monday or Tuesday night, whether it was Wednesday night I can't remember The CHAIRMAN. The point is, it came very shortly before the hearing. Ms. KULKA. That's correct. The CHAIRMAN. And part of the question we have to ask ourselves is would it have been reasonable for Mr. Altman to have remembered the subject of recusal, which bad been the focus of, you percent of the briefing time? You discussed it a short time hand. It was on the briefing document that he bad., We have ether or not it was reasonable that, in the scope of the operations he was asked, he would have mentioned that issue. As I be did not, ' Ms. KULKA. Senator, I don't want to mislead you. We did not spend 15 or 20 percent of the time discussing his recusal issue with the White House. That was in passing. He put it down on his pro posed answer. The time we spent discussing recusal dealt with recusing whether a Senator asked a direct question about why he wasn't recusing himself or what he expected to do, and how he would talk 60 about his understanding of the way in which he would proceed, how he had instructed us in handling the matter, and so forth. The CHAIRMAN. I appreciate the point you're making and we' have a chance to hear from him on that question. Senator Sarbanes. is asking for- Senator SARBANES. Could I just got a clarification? Was the briefing of Altman And your work preparing for the briefing concern the whole activities of the RTC? Ms. KuLKA. That's correct. Senator SARBANES. What portion of the briefing related to Madi-son and Whitewater would you say? Ms. KULKA. Maybe 35, 40 percent, Senator SARBANES. OF, Thank you, The CHAIRMAN. You know, I think that begs another question. Was the recusal issue, that you said took 20 percent of the briefing time, on some issue other than Madison and Whitewater, or was it just on that issue? KULKA. It was on that issue, sir. It would have been maybe 15 to 20 percent of the time we spent on Madison, which would have made it a smaller amount of time in the briefings. I just- The CHAIRMAN. Senator D'Amato. Senator DAMATO, Thank you, Mr. Chairman, I'm not going to' take all my time. I'm going to yield my time to Senator Mack. Regarding the preparation for that meeting, that Chairman Riegle spoke about, on February 24, 1994, wasn't there a preparation of Q's and As regarding contacts between Treasury and the White House? Ms. KuLKA. There were questions posed, sir, yes. Senator D'AMATO. Was it a Q and A? Ms. KULKA. Yes. Senator D'AMATo. About the contacts between Treasury and the' White House? Ms. KULKA. That's correct. Senator DAMATO. And that was about Madison and the contacts between Treasury and the White House re: Madison, it wasn't about anything else. Right? Ms. KuLKA. I don't have it in front of me, sir, but my recollection was that it was about Mr. Altman's contacts. Senator D'AMATO. With the White House? Ms. KULKA. That's correct. Senator D'AMATO. As it related to Madison? Ms. KULKA. That's correct. Senator D'AMAT0. Didn't the answers specifically make reference to the recusal discussion on February 2, 1994? Ms. KuLKA. That is my recollection. Senator D'AMAT0. So recusal answers were actually prepared as it related to the Madison matter whether or not he was going to recuse himself. Is that correct? Ms. KULKA. And his discussions with the White House as it related to that. There were two different sets of Q's and As that would have dealt with it. One would have been in the context of what his discussion with the White House bad covered and the other would have been directly on the issue of recusal, 61 Senator D'AMATO. To. Before the February 2, 1994, White House meeting, did anyone ask you for authorization or advice on what to say at that meeting? Ms. KULKA. I'm sorry? Senator D'AMATo. In other words, there was a meeting on February 2, 1994, where Mr. Altman met with Bernie Nussbaum, Maggie Williams, and others on the White House staff. Were you consulted about that meeting and were you asked any advice as to what they should or shouldn't say? Ms. KuLKA. I was unaware of that meeting until the Q and A session several weeks later. Senator D'AMATO. That's substantially what we know of it, Would you have approved a briefing of the White House or any other private party that disclosed the progress of the Madison/ Whitewater inquiry? ' ? Ms. KuLKA. I don't know what you mean by "progress," sir. Senator DAMATO. Status of the case,