August 2, 1994 - Part 8
August 2, 1994 - Part 8
(19:30:27) Mr. ALTMAN. No, sir, I wasn't. Senator CAMPBELL. On page 6, you say when you told General Counsel Hanson that she'd be making A the decisions relating to Madison, were there other people present when you told her that? Mr. ALTMAN. I think I told Ellen Kulka, the RTC General Counsel and yes sir, there were other people present. Senator CAMPBELL. Was that just done verbally or did you do that also in writing? Mr. ALTMAN. I think I did it just verbally. Senator CAMPBELL. Just verbally. 479 Mr. ALTMAN. Ms. Kulka has testified to the same effect. Senator CAMPBELL. We have some of your handwritten notes on lined paper here and I wanted to ask you, too, about them. Were those just random notes or was that---do you also keep some kind of organized daily journal or logbook? Mr. ALTMAN. Could I see them, Senator? Senator CAMPBELL. Yes. I have to dig them out. I don't know if you can see them from there or not. I just jotted a few things down from them. It seems to be your handwriting from the similarity to the letter to the President. And I wondered where did those come .from, were they part of an organized journal or were they notes that you give to somebody? Mr. ALTMAN. I keep-I used to keep. Senator CAMPBELL. Yeah, don't do that. Mr. ALTMAN. I used to keep a scrapbook, and by that I mean, it was filled with press clippings that I wanted to keep, some documents that I wanted to keep, and then some notes I made periodically that I wanted to keep for my own Senator CAMPBELL. Did you turn those in to someone or how did get those? ALTMAN. These were, I believe, subpoenaed in the sense of anything that could be germane to the inquiry. Senator CAMPBELL. I see. Just a couple more, if I still have the me. You also testified that you were kind of an alter ego for, I guess, the Secretary of the Treasury and that you had a very limited in the RTC. How did you divide your time, were you not there at all in the RTC office or did you spend half a day at each place or how did you keep track of what was going on? Mr. ALTMAN. I did not keep an office at the RTC. Typically I went there twice a week for senior staff meetings over lunch on and Thursdays. Lasted about an hour and a half each group of RTC senior staff people would attend those, perhaps 8 or 10. We would review the major issues facing the agency, I was not in a position to make any operating decisions. I just didn't have the time so I didn't make any personnel decisions Senator CAMPBELL. Who made the operating decisions if you weren't there? 'Mr. ALTMAN. In 1993, Mr. Roelle and Mr. Kelly were the two vice residents and they generally did. Senator CAMPBELL. On your first page, you also mention that you some major problems that you inherited. What were those? Mr. ALTMAN. Well, for example, when we took it over the agency ,no Chief Financial Officer, it had no permanent General Counsel had no Deputy CEO. Those were vacant positions. And we had to go ahead and fill them. In addition, the contracting area not what it should have been, The PLS area, which is the Pro fessional Liability Section, the attorneys working in there were staffed. A variety of managerial weaknesses that we set to try to do something about. Senator CAMPBELL. I thank you Mr Chairman. I think that's questions for me, but I would just like to commend Mr. Altthrough a kind of a test of fire sitting here 5 hours any questions, and some of them obviously not too is not easy. 480 Mr. ALTMAN. Thank you. Senator CAMPBE CAMPBELL. So I commend him for that. The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Senator Campbell. Senator Domenici. Senator DOMENICI. Mr. Chairman, a while ago my good friend from New York gratuitously gave away my time. I'm usually not that complacent. The CHAIRMAN. For a good cause. Senator DODD. We'll give it back. Senator DOMENICI. I think it's a great cause and when one of you will do that for me, since I've been waiting for hours and I never get to speak, I very much would appreciate it.