August 1, 1994 - Part 8
August 1, 1994 - Part 8
(21:45:56) Senator ROTH. Yes, I don't have a copy of the memorandum. The CHAiRmAN. Do you mind, then, if I shift across here? Senator ROTH. We'll come back to that. The CHAIRMAN. Senator Kerry. Senator KERRY. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Ms. Hanson, I want to ask you a couple of questions which are fairly direct, ultimately, but I want to get at them because I don't want to leave this for conjecture within the Committee and, certainly, with the press. I think we need to try to understand it completely. You say you viewed a tape at some point. Is that correct? Ms. HANSON. Of the hearing? Senator KERRY. Yes. Ms. HANSON. I viewed only the portion that included two questions asked by Senator Bond. Senator KERRY. Why is it that you only viewed that particular portion? Ms. HANSON. Because there was a call, as has been alluded to, a call from Mr. Podesta to Mr. Altman, and Mr. Altman called me to his office and said he bad heard, from Mr. Podesta, that there was a concern about the way he had responded to two questions of Senator Bond. As I said, we didn't have the transcript Senator KERRY. I understand that, but one of the questions, that Mr. Podesta was concerned about, was one of the questions that Senator Gramm asked about contacts. Correct? Ms. HANSON. I was not given that information by Mr. Altman, sir. Senator KERRY. You were told what? Ms. HANSON. Only-I was only asked questions about Senator Bond. Senator KERRY. About Ms. HANSON. About Senator Bond's questions. Senator KERRY. This is on March 1, 1994. Correct? Ms. HANSON. To my recollection, yes. Senator KERRY. In previous testimony, I think in answer to Senator Gramm you said that you're absolutely positive that Mr. Altman directed you to go to the White House. Correct? Ms. HANSON. That s my recollection, sir. Senator KERRY. How many times had you been to the White House on business previously. 172 Ms. HANSON. On business previously? I can't give you an exact count, but it was not many. Senator KERR. Had you ever gone over there alone to meet with Mr. Nussbaum? Ms. HANSON. As I sit here, I don't recall that I had, sir. Senator KERRY. I assume it would stand out in your memory, as a new lawyer in Washington, that you'd been directed to go over to the White House within a short span of time. You would remember if you had been to visit with Mr. Nussbaum. Ms. HANSON. I'm sorry, I don't understand your question. Senator KERRY. I said, I assume it would stand out in your memory. A visit to the White House to meet with Mr. Nussbaum, within a matter of months, would not be something that you could confuse or forget. Ms. HANSON. Recollections aren't perfect, but Senator KERRY. Do you recall going to the White House and seeing Mr. Nussbaum? MS. HANSON. Absolutely I do, sir. Senator KERRY. There's no question in your mind that you recall that? Ms. HANSON. There's no question in my mind. Senator KERRY. The reason I ask is when I look at this working document that came out of your computer, the first four sentences in it-let me read from the testimony before the Committee on page 69 of the Committee record: Senator BOND: How is the White House notified of the referral? On your working document: Senator BOND: How was the White House notified of the referral? Next, reading from the Committee record, Mr. Altman answers: They were not notified by the RTC, to the best of my knowledge. On your working document: They were not notified by the RTC, to the best of my knowledge. Next question from the record of the Committee: Senator BOND: Nobody in your agency, to your knowledge, advised the White House staff this could be a major source of concern? On your working document: Senator BOND: Nobody in your agency, to your knowledge, advised the White House staff this was going to be a major-this could be a major source of concern? Mr. Altman's answer, Not to my knowledge," totally corresponds to his answer in the Committee record. All of a sudden, there was this departure, which you have described as a working document for your memory. I must say to you, as I read this, I am really dumb struck by the number of answers you give to proposed questions. It's as if you were working through this testimony in a way that you could correct it for the Committee, trying to find what is correct but, in fact, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight fundamental issues of memory are wrong. Ms. HANSON. Sir, I don't have the document in front of me and I don't know Senator KERRY. I can get a copy. MS. HANSON. -and I don't know what you're referring' to,