August 1, 1994 - Part 6
August 1, 1994 - Part 6
(18:40:04) Hearing resumes: Senator BOXER. We'll come back to order. When Senator Riegle comes in, be will take the Chair. In the meantime-what well do IS continue, and when Senator Gramm comes in, we'll go back to 'his time. If there's no objection, I can take my 7 minutes at this time. When Senator Gramm comes back, we'll go right back to him. Ms. Hanson, I want to talk to you about this who le issue of press leaks. I want to start off where my colleague, Senator Bennett, was going with his questions because I'm trying to understand all of this and I really don't understand it. You seemed very proud that You had, in fact, briefed Mr. Nussbaum before the press leaks actually occurred. You said I was right. lit. Am I correct in the way I'm Ms. HANSON. I think what I did was appropriate, absolutely. 124 Senator BoxER. You think it's correct. Is it in your job description to head off press leaks, to advise people at the White House that there are going to be press leaks? Is this something that you, you ever discussed, that your job was supposed to include that? Ms. HANsON. I never discussed it specifically, to my recollection Senator BOXER. Yet you said it was for a governmental purpose Could you elaborate on that? How is advising the White House a press-what you fear is going to be leaked to the press, how that really benefit our country, our Nation? Ms. HANsoN. To the extent that the White House or the President dent-because the President could be asked a question-to the tent that he is asked a question that mischaracterizes the info tion, or otherwise would put the Presidency, the President, the office of the Presidency, the Administration, and the whole Go ment in a bad light, it is important that the person to whom inquiry is going to come has the information in order to pre deal with the inquiries as they come. Senator BoXER. If I just might say to you, and I really you and believe that you function from goodwill and good purpose that if all we were worried about was what's going to put us in a' bad light, nothing would ever get done. I venture to say, it's my feeling that with everybody's ' heightened concern about all this, I don't think it really served anyone very well because I agree with Senator Bennett. If there's a press leak, a question, and it has to do with something that happened 12 years ago, and there's a private attorney that's been hired to handle that situation, why not give the advice to those who would be concerned about it as follows'? In other words, have the RTC press office just inform the White House press office that these questions were coming, and they have to do with something that happened a long time ago, and your advice is to refer it all to private counsel. Ms. HANsON. It's not my understanding that there was private counsel hired at that time, but the White House also had a policy in place that, to the extent that information was going to be discussed with White House officials that related to ongoing investigations, the contact point was Counsel to the President. So, according to the White House guidance, as I understood it, as it existed at that time and as I believe it still exists, the White House Counsel was the appropriate contact point Senator BOXER. But you didn't work with the White House. Let me talk to you about Mr. Altman's testimony because it's troubling to me that you sat behind him and there were questions by my colleagues--Senator Gramm, Senator Bond, and I may be reiterating what my Chairman said-- but it seemed to me that when you were testifying before a Senate Committee or a House Committee, and questions were asked, you bad an obligation to respond in full, not to give a tortured or incomplete answer. Now, you were there, and in your mind, you made a mental note, "We've got to go back." What does that mean, "We've got to go back"? How many days were you going to take? You knew that you bad informed Mr. Nussbaum about the referrals. Is that correct? You sat there knowing that, Ms. HANsON. As I stated, at that time, as I sat there, I realized that I had not thought-we had not prepared Mr. Altman. The en 125 tire preparation focus was on the civil investigation that was underway at that time, the statute of limitations issue, the Vacancy Act issue, as it related to Mr. Altman. Senator BOXER. I'm going to interrupt you here, if I might, for just a minute, because I think that is a tortured answer. When Senator Gramm asked his question, he didn't make a distinction. He just asked Mr. Altman if he, or any member of his staff, had discussed anything to do with Whitewater, but, yet in your mind, you only heard civil investigation. I don't understand how a reasonable person would interpret the question in that fashion.