August 2, 1994 - Part 11
August 2, 1994 - Part 11
(00:50:36) Senator GRAMM. I just thought that you needed two points of information. Number one, Mr. Ickes, who was at every meeting, forwards this document to the First Lady, so clearly he believed in its veracity. Second, we didn't Senator KERRY. I understand. We're going to have ample--listen, I think, Senator, I've been as interested in anybody in pursuing that line of questioning and we're going to have a lot of chance to get at it. The CHAIRMAN. Senator Bennett. Senator BENNFTT. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just have a few loose ends, Mr. Altman, and I promise that they ,have nothing to do with anything we've talked about before as the Mair requested. Let me review your answer to a question from Senator Bond at the February bearing. It's on page 40 of the hearings. Trust me to read it accurately. It says: 540 Senator BOND. Mr. Altman are there special measures taken in the resolution Of a failed thrift when you find it to be affiliated with a high Profile individual, some- one in Government, for example? Mr. ALTMAN. The procedure, Senator, which the RTC follows are intended to be identical in each case, and they certainly have been identical in the case discussed this morning. Is that still your opinion? Mr. ALTMAN. Is the question about the safeguarding of documents? Senator BENNETT. No. The question is "Are there special meas- ures taken in the resolution of the failed thrift when you find it to be affiliated with a high profile individual, someone in Govern. ment, for example?" Your answer , then, was-, 'The procedure, Senator, which the RTC follows are intended to be identical in each case, and they certainly have been identical in the case discussed, this morning. Do you stand by that answer? Mr. ALTMAN. I do. Senator BENNETT. Let me read to you from Ms. Hanson's deposition: "I spoke to Mr. Curtis and I was told that although typically it is customary for criminal referrals to be sent directly from the regional office to the Department of Justice, if the referral involves people of prominence or relates to issues of national significance, then it would be customary for the referral to go to Washington in the first instance." Now, you were the Chief Executive Officer of the RTC. Were you aware of this special procedure? Mr. ALTMAN. I don't believe so, Senator. Senator BENNETT. New York Times, July 26, alleges that and an aide "tried to set up a system so they can be informed in advance of sensitive matters at the agency." Further, Mr. Gerth of the Times quotes Mr. Katsanos as saying, "Mr. Altman was interested in being consulted on major or politically sensitive matters." Did you or one of your aides try to set up an early warning system for political figures? Mr. ALTMAN. I'm going to take a moment to answer that question, Senator, because I'm glad you asked it. I've taken a lot of heat over the past week or so, on this matter. It's been misreported from the beginning. It's still being misreported. I never asked to be kept abreast of any investigation or any case, despite what the press has said. All I asked was that, from the point of view of the press, I be alerted to any decision just before it's released which could have major press potential or major leak potential. Just before it's released. Don't involve me in the decision, I don't want to get involved in the investigation, but before you release it, a day before or something, please let me know because I may start getting inquiries about it. That's all that I asked. I think that's a very reasonable thing to have done and all this criticism of the past week or 8 days is based on an erroneous presumption. Senator BENNETT. So the quotation attributed to Mr. Katsanos is either inaccurate or if it's an accurate quotation, Mr. Katsanos is inaccurate? Mr. ALTMAN. I don't quite know what be meant. I'm just telling you--I just tried to tell you what the reality was and if he meant that I asked to be kept abreast of any investigation or any inner workings of a case, he he's got it wrong. 541 Senator BENNETT. Does that include-and this is outside the scope of this resolution so you could decline to answer it if you'd like, but to give you the opportunity, since you said you were pleased that I raised it, would that include the case involving Congressman Jefferson? Mr. ALTMAN. I don't believe I ever asked to be briefed on where the case stood involving Congressman Jefferson. No, I don't. That's my best recollection.