August 1, 1994 - Part 9
August 1, 1994 - Part 9
(23:15:29) Ms. HANsON. Sir, as I have stated, this letter was drafted very quickly, late in the day, on March 2, 1994, by Mr. Altman. This letter was only intended to respond to the Senator Bond question of how the White House was notified. This was not intended to be an answer to the other question that we've discussed here, relating to all contacts. Senator GRAMM. That's not what it says. Did you believe this was true when you read it? Ms. HANSON. What I understood and, frankly, I will tell you, what I particularly focused on, is the sentence describing the conversations, but I understood this letter to only be responding to the Senator Bond inquiry as to how the White House was notified of criminal referrals. That's how I understood this letter. Again, as I say, my understanding, and my intention, was that there was going to be a full review of the record. The questions were going to be received, every single question would be answered, and all these conversations would be described in detail. That's not what this letter was and that's not what I understood it to be. Senator GRAMM. You meant, here, to tell us only about what was going to be in the paper the next day and, therefore, the fact that it was incomplete, the fact that it was invalid, was OK, because it was later going to be supplemented. Is that Ms. HANSON. That's not what I've said. I'm saying-I have said, at that time, I still didn't have the transcript before me. I still hadn't seen the question that you asked. I hadn't seen it. Senator GRAMM. You had watched this on tape. You had watched the Ms. HANSON. I watched the only the Senator Bond questions on the tape. That's all that I watched of the tape. That's all that I watched of the tape, that's what this letter was designed to do, and that's what I understood of it. Senator GRAmm. Mr. Chairman, I want to say for the record, it's very interesting that when Mr. Podesta put in the file at the White I Ouse the transcript of the February 24, 1994, hearing, he didn't get it from us, he pulled it off of the Federal News Service. That ]Federal News Service is available in any Federal office. It's tied into their computer. 196 The CHAIRMAN. Senator Gramm, your time is up. I'm going to give you another round, if you need it, but Senator DAmato lad a couple of questions. Senator GRAmm. If I could, I'd like to go ahead and get finished if that's all right. Senator DAmATO. Go ahead. Ms. HANSON. Could we take a brief break, sir? The CHAIRMAN. Sure. (23:18:21) [Recess.] (23:18:25) Commentary of hearings hosts NINA TOTENBERG and DON BODE, they also interview Senator AL D'AMATO