August 1, 1994 - Part 6
August 1, 1994 - Part 6
(18:25:45) Thank you very much, Ms. Hanson. I see that my time has expired. The CHAiRmAN. Thank you, Senator Sasser. Senator Gramm. OPENING COMMENTS OF SENATOR PHIL GRAMM Senator GRAmm. Mr. Chairman, I'd be happy to begin now, but we're getting ready for the second bell on a floor vote. Should I .wait until we get back? The CHAIRMAN. We'll give you your full shot of time. Senator Boxer is going across to vote and coming back. If we have to interrupt the hearing, she can resume it until I can vote and come back. I think you should start and we'll protect your time. If you feel hurried, we'll give you the time you need. Senator GRAmm. Ms. Hanson, thank you very much for appearing before the Committee. I want to go back and be sure, before I get to the questions, that I understand exactly what the facts are. Mr. Roelle, who is a career employee of the FDIC, who was, until recently, on assignment to the RTC, called you-you are not an RTC employee, but you work for the Treasury Department-he called you to give you a message about criminal referrals. I want to be sure that I've got it right. Was the message that there were criminal referrals and that they might be leaked to the press, or was the message that there are criminal referrals that might be leaked to the press and that there are nine of them? In other words, was the purpose of the communication to tell you that the referrals were coming and they might be leaked to the press, or was the purpose of the communication to tell you about the criminal referrals and, as an afterthought, an amendment, or an addendum, a mention that they might be leaked to the press? Ms. HANSON. It was my understanding that the reason I was receiving this information was at the request of Mr. Altman, and I understood the reason for the call was because this information was going to leak to the press. There was a policy that Mr. Altman be made aware of information involving people of prominence or companies, national companies, if the information was going to ap- pear in the press. So, it was perfectly consistent, to my mind, the policy that the RTC was using in terms of giving information 123 to Mr. Altman, Otherwise, I don't know why Mr. Altman would 'have gotten this information. Senator GRAmm. Was this the first time this had happened or had it happened before? Ms. HANSON. The first time? Senator GRAmm. That you had been notified, as a conduit to Mr. Altman, that an investigation was going to leak to the press. Was this the first one ever, or had there been similar communications about major companies, as you mentioned, or about other individuals? Ms. HANsON. From time to time, I spoke-I spoke with Mr. Roelle over a period of months, from time to time, and on a number of occasions I was given information that Mr. Roelle indicated would likely leak, or would leak. I served, from time to time, as a conduit for information to Mr. Altman,, because be just didn't, physically, have enough hours in his day to speak with all of the people that he needed to talk to. Senator GRAmm. In notifying you of this, they were notifying you, obviously, as their way of notifying Mr. Altman? Ms. HANSON. That's correct. Senator GRAmm. Did Mr. Roelle tell you why he believed that this would be leaked to the press? Ms. HANSON. No, be didn't, but as I stated, the RTC leaked a lot and so I believed him. Senator GRAmm. Was this referral coming to the RTC or to the Justice Department? Ms. HANSON, As I understood it, it was being transmitted from the Kansas City RTC office to the Washington RTC office, and from the Washington RTC office it would 90 to the Department of Justice. Senator GRAmm. We have our second bells for the vote on the Senate floor, and, Mr. Chairman, if it's OK with you, I'd like to stop so that we might vote. The CHAIRMAN. Then we'll recess at this point and reserve the remainder of Senator Gramm's time, and what I'm going to do, Senator Gramm, if Senator Boxer comes back and another Senator is ready, have her start with that person, and as soon as that person finishes, we'll go back to you. The Committee stands in recess pending the return of Senator Boxer. (18:30:23) [Recess.] (18:30:25) Commentary of hearings hosts NINA TOTENBERG and DON BODE from tv studio, they also interview MICHAEL ROSS of the Los Angeles Times and Senator CHRISTOPHER DODD