August 1, 1994 - Part 5
August 1, 1994 - Part 5
(16:45:50) Although I have no recollection of having briefed Secretary Bentsen as the memorandum states, I am sure that had memorandum accurately reflects that I did. The memorandum does not specify the subject of the briefing. I may have told Secretary Bentsen about the meeting or, as is more likely, I may simply have alerted him to the fact that there would be press leaks relating to the Madison criminal referrals, and the nature of the anticipated leaks. On October 14, 1993, 1 attended a meeting at the White House arranged either by Mr. DeVore or Mr. Steiner, two senior Treasury officials, to discuss the handling of press inquiries Mr. DeVore had received with regard to the Madison criminal referrals. Mr. DeVore, at the time, was Treasury's Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs. The issue I recall Mr. DeVore saying the press had raised then was whether the referrals were being held up at the RTC and not being forwarded to the Justice Department. Implicit in the question was a suggestion of misconduct on the part of the Treasuru or the White House officials. have no doubt that the meeting was appropriate. First, the press inquiries Treasury had received confirmed that information about the criminal referrals had been leaked now to at least two reporters, a significant breach of Government regulations that gave the Administration officials no choice but to be prepared to respond. Indeed, I was struck, when the articles in question appeared in the press at the end of October and early November, by just how much more about the referrals the reporters know-knew than I ever did. Second, the inquiry was based on false information that cast the Administration in an inaccurate and decidedly prejudicial light, which the Government had an obligation to correct. The CHAiRmAN, Let me gust stop you for one moment and I excuse myself for doing so, but some people are still having a hard time hearing you. If you could pull the mike a little closer stillcan you just-can you or is it stuck there? Senator GRAMM. Put your book on top of it. Ms. HANSON. I'm sorry? Senator GRAMM. Put your notebook up on top of it. That way, you can pull it closer to you. 99 Ms. HANSON. Thank you. again--better? The CHAMMAN. It's--I think so. Ms. HANSON. Again, there was no intent, and certainly I know of no effort, to interfere in any way with the referrals which, I believe I learned subsequently, had already been forwarded by the RTC to the Justice Department. By mid-January, congressional attention became focused on upcoming deadlines under the statute of limitations for the filing of any civil claims the RTC might bring in the Madison matter. At the time, civil claims involving Madison bad to be filed on or before February civil 28, 1994, unless the RTC either decided not to pursue any claims or obtained tolling agreements from parties who had might be the subject of a civil suit. various Members of Congress were pressing the RTC to obtain tolling agreements if the RTC could not complete its Madison investigation by February 28, 1994. In the face of the fast-approaching deadline, Mr. Altman considered whether he would recuse himself from substantive decisionmaking regarding Madison-related civil claims. On February 1, 1994, Mr. Altman and I briefed Secretary Bentsen on the operation of the statute of limitations in the Madison matter. In that meeting, Mr. Altman stated that be bad decided to recuse himself from any substantive decisionmaking regarding Madison civil claims, a course that I bad recommended to Mr. Altman and one in which Secretary Bentsen concurred during our meeting. Mr. Altman stated that he wanted to meet with appropriate White House officials to apprise them of his decision to recuse himself. I said that I would attend the meeting with him.