August 2, 1994 - Part 11
August 2, 1994 - Part 11
(00:40:30) I feel so badly, Mr. Altman. This is so late and it's been such a grueling experience for you and I don't mean to pile on, but I think there is something that I'd like to get clarification on. Mr. ALTMAN. Today is my son's 9th birthday and I am a little Sorry to say I didn't talk to him today. It's not likely he's still watching, but Senator MOSELEY-BRAUN. Thank you, Mr. Altman. Mr. ALTMAN. -If he sees the tape I want him to know I love him. Senator MOSELEY-BRAUN. That's great. Happy birthday to your son and I hope you have some time soon to celebrate with him. Again, I really apologize this is really difficult, but it's obviously an important area. Some of my colleagues have suggested you got yourself in this difficulty to begin with when you waited too long to recuse yourself on these matters. I think, and have all along, that you got on the slippery slope with this in the first place when you took this second job at the RTC, that that was the critical decision when you decided to take that position. Earlier this evening, I had asked you if you sought advice of counsel regarding the relationship and the potential for legal or 537 ethical conflict between the two positions that you held. And your response to me indicated that you had not. Again, this may or may not be a contradiction, but Mr. Foreman who is the Deputy General Counsel and the Ethics Officer over at Treasury related a specific conversation in March 1993, before you took the second job, in which be warned you not to take it, not to take this second job, and I really wanted-would like to try to refresh your recollection and clarify the record in that regard. Do you have any recollection of that conversation? Mr. ALTMAN. Senator, I honestly don't. Dennis Foreman is a straight- up guy and maybe be did. I don't remember it. Senator MOSELEY-BRAUN. Again, just to refresh your recollection because it's kind of almost ironic, frankly, what it was that he said to you. He said to you-the question was "do you recall any discussion at the time Mr. Altman was appointed about whether it was advisable to have a person who was Deputy Secretary of the Treasury sitting in the position of interim CEO from the standpoint of the legislative distinction or legislative wall between the Oversight Board and the RTC?" He goes on and says, and I'm just going to quote this part. He says, when I heard that it was being considered that he was going to be appointed, I decided I needed to personally say something to him and talk to him about it." A few more words later and then he says, "I said to him, Roger, if you do this. and take an appointment as interim CEO, something terrible is going to happen to you while you are the CEO. It will be something gat you will probably not have anything to do with and you will be blamed for it and it's going to be terrible. I remember exactly what he said to me in response. He said Dennis, we cannot leave the RTC leaderless while we are trying to finish the funding and finish their work." Do you have a recollection of that conversation? Mr. ALTMAN. No, I don't, but I guess Mr. Foreman was right. Senator MOSELEY-BRAUN. I really don't have any other questions except maybe to suggest bad you might send a thank you note to -Mr. Foreman or congratulate him on his prescience. Mr. ALTMAN. I don't remember that, but that was good insight. Senator MOSELEY-BRAUN. That's what he said. Roger, something terrible is going to happen to you. Mr. ALTMAN. It did. Senator MOSELEY-BRAUN. Right. It won't have anything to do with you and you will be blamed and it will be terrible, that 's what he said. Id. Mr. ALTMAN. That's what happened. Senator MOSELEY-BRAUN. Again, I want to thank you very much for our patience. I just wanted to clarify your recollection with regar to Mr. Foreman's testimony and to make sure the record was straight on the point. Mr. ALTMAN. Thank you. Senator MOSELEY-BRAUN. I yield the remainder of my time to Senator Kerry. Senator KERRY. I won't use all of it. I appreciate that enormously I guess our colleague has left now. I regret that enormously he drew a very dramatic conclusion which I don't if you read this document, is fully merited. I think I have 538 asked as many hard questions about the recusal issue as an here, but I find that this particular document, in fact, would score and almost provides evidence to the contrary in the that it is a document, a legal memorandum from Mr. transfer to the First Lady on March 1 written on which is several weeks after the meeting where the recusal was discussed. Mr. Eggleston was not at that meeting. And all of the witnesses who were at the meeting of February 3 have, indeed, agreed at that - meeting, Mr. Altman said be was not going be involved.