August 2, 1994 - Part 11
August 2, 1994 - Part 11
(00:15:39) Let's take the position that you had no knowledge about these last two conversations. Why in the world wouldn't you have taken the opportunity to inform the Committee as fully as possible? And frankly, I have watched the testimony now for hours and you have repeatedly given nonresponsive answers, which you justify with se- 529 mantic gymnastics. I believe you have continued tonight the evasive course which you adopted on February 24 and continue through a series of incomplete and misleading letters written to the Committee. I can't help but conclude that your every statement to this Committee is to evade, not to inform. So I say why in the world wouldn't you take this opportunity to inform the Committee as fully as possible in those four letters'! Mr. ALTMAN. I did so, Senator Mack. As you know, I received that call from Mr. Podesta and what happened? That same day, I sent this Committee a letter indicating that I just learned about those meetings. I thought they had to do with press inquiries. The same day. I didn't hesitate at all to put this information in the hands of the Committee as soon as I had it, the very same day. Senator MACK. Mr. Altman, again, I think you could have gone into a little bit more detail about what those meetings were about. Mr. ALTMAN. When Mr. Podesta told me about the meetings, I think he'll confirm that I said to him I never beard of the meetings which is simply the truth. Now, I wasn't then sure whether it was proper for me to get briefed on the meetings, whether I should get some legal advice as to whether I should then get briefed or not get briefed. I did call in Ms. Hanson and Mr. Steiner immediately or at least speak with them. They confirmed the meetings Senator MACK. But you felt no need to provide information to the Committee about what those meetings were about? I mean., I understand that Mr. Podesta may have tried to get you to provide information not only about the meetings, but about the recusals as well. Again, the feeling we had was when he started to talk to you, you just didn't want to have anything to do with this. Mr. ALTMAN. That's just not true, Senator You quoted Mr. Podesta when he asked me, I guess it was about recusal, I said I believed that my answer was responsive to the question or it was accurate. That's what I believed. You may not like that, but that's just what I believed. Now, I just don't accept the notion that at was evasive. I immediately prepared this letter. I called Senator Riegle on the phone, told him about it. I called Senator Bond, reached him at home, 8 p.m. or 9 p.m., told him about it. That's not the pattern of someone who's trying to withhold information. Senator MACK. Let me go back to a concern that was mentioned in the transcript about you having the conversation. What was that about? Why were you all of a sudden having concern about talking with folks at the White House? Mr. ALTMAN. No, no' I just didn't know at that moment whether it was appropriate to get fully briefed on those meetings, whether I should have that information at that point. Senator MACK. Again, what was wrong with being fully briefed and then passing that information on to the Committee? If the purpose was to fully inform the Committee, why wouldn't you do that? That sounds like a fairly reasonable question. Mr. ALTMAN. I just wasn't sure whether it was appropriate, including legally appropriate, for me to immediately It all this information and my first instinct was to be cautious, but Senator Senator MACK. Cautious about what? Mr. ALTMAN. Senator, the salient point is I immediately communicated to the Committee. 530 Senator MACK. What you communicated to the Committee was that there were two meetings, nothing about the meetings, nothing about recusal. Again, it seems like you were just going to provide us just enough information and that's the point that I'm making. All through this process, the February 24, the follow-up and frankly your testimony here tonight, you just give us enough but not any more and that's the way it comes across. I'm sorry, but that's the conclusion that I've come to. Mr. ALTMAN. I respectfully disagree. I'm prepared to sit here until hell freezes over to answer every question you want to ask. Senator MACK. Why were you so concerned, in this testimony here in this transcript indicated that you weren't even sure whether you should be having conversations with folks at the White House? Mr. ALTMAN. They told me-Mr. Podesta said the meetings had-he asked me what about the meetings. I said I didn't know anything about them. And I think that confirms that my response I to Senator Bond on February 24 was an honest response. Senator MACK. But you subsequently found out about those meetings. You could have taken the opportunity in these letters to, in fact, fully inform. Taking it from the perspective that you didn't know about the meetings, why couldn't you have just said, again not knowing about the meetings, but here's what we've been able to reconstruct as to what happened at those meetings? Mr. ALTMAN. I tried to use my best judgment, Senator.