August 2, 1994 - Part 5
August 2, 1994 - Part 5
(17:00:18) I see nothing wrong with it, Mr. Chairman, if that was the motivation. And had I been asked, had someone come to me and said there is an impending press leak, not knowing the information that I did not know about the referrals, I'm not sure what my reaction would have been. The CHAIRMAN. Let me ask you one more question. My time is rapidly fading. You had asked early on, in assuming this temporary RTC job, that you be informed if there was a high profile case, that it be brought to your attention. Mr. ALTMAN. No, sir. The CHAIRMAN, That's not true? Mr. ALTMAN. That's not true. I only asked one thing in that respect, and, of course, like -many other aspects like this, it's been widely mischaracterized. I simply said, that before the RTC releases to the press a decision which could have major press impact 418 or leak potential, that I wanted to know what the decision was. I never asked to be kept abreast of any investigation during the course of the investigation. The CHAIRMAN. No, I understand. That's not what I said. The question was, if there was a high profile case, did you want to be informed that there, in fact, was a high profile case out there kick- ing around in some way. I mean, our record shows that you had indicated that you didn't want to be blindsided by those kinds of cases, that's my word. Mr. ALTMAN. I said I made these comments in the context of press policy that I didn't want to begin to receive inquiries on an RTC decision which had been released. The CHAIRMAN. Well, let me just finish this way, my time is up and we're going to have to go and vote here. Back in the fall of last year, do you have any memory at all of Ms. Hanson telling you anything about this criminal referral issue, whether or not there was a conversation about her going to the White House and telling Nussbaum, do you remember being informed by her at all about it? Mr. ALTMAN, Mr. Chairman, I testified on February 24, and I've done the same, of course, in all the depositions since then. That last fall, number one, was the first time I heard of the referrals, not in March. And second, that either Mr. Roelle or Ms. Hanson or both, I just can't recall anything better than that, advised me that a criminal referral was in the works, that it could cite the President and First Lady. I was given no information as to the prospects for a referral, would it be referred or not. I was not told a thing about that, simply that it was in the works, And I responded by saying, as I think the others have attested, that this ought to be handled in identical fashion to any other case, and then whoever it was said such decisions are typically made at the re- gional office level, and I said fine, then that's how it should be made in this case. The CHAIRMAN. Did you share that information with anybody at the White House at any time yourself?. Mr. ALTMAN. No, sir. The CHAIRMAN. I'm going to suspend now so we can go and vote and when we return Senator D'Amato will be recognized. We'll stand in recess for 10 minutes. (17:03:31) [Recess.] (17:03:42) Commentary of hearings hosts DON BODE and NINA TOTENBERG from tv studio, they also talk with STEVE ROBERTS of U.S. News and World Report (17:13:52)(tape #10069 ends)