August 3, 1994 - Part 1
August 3, 1994 - Part 1
(10:40:52) If someone could hand this to the Secretary? [Pause.] 20 This redacted schedule suggests that on Thursday, February 3, at 11:50, Roger Altman and Jean Hanson met with you. Do you have any recollection, or does that freshen your memory as to what might have happened at that occasion? Secretary BENTSEN. No, it does not, Senator. I have shown you something of my meetings, my schedules, and it does not. Senator BOND. Thank you. I can understand that meetings that long ago may not come quickly back to mind, even when you had a busy schedule. But speaking of the Inspector General and the OGE report, there is something that concerned me. Last night, we learned that Mr. Altman read and used the transcript of the IG's interview in preparation for his testimony, and also that Mr. Cutler had been presented copies, more than a week or so ago, of these IG reports. Do you know why these transcripts were released to the witnesses before they were called to testify before this Committee? Secretary BENTSEN. Yes, I certainly do. In the sworn depositions that were sent to Mr. Cutler, he had asked for those to help him in his preparation before the Congress in his testimony. He had a very short time span in which to accomplish that, And I thought that he deserved that to be able to do a good job of it, and that the Congress deserved that kind of information. So it is also, let me state, someone here said that these things are a bit like a trial hearing. I am no trial lawyer so I am no authority in that regard. But it is my understanding that once you have these sworn depositions, that they can then be exchanged and others can look at it, with the idea of giving the more complete facts as to what happened. It is not something that is kept in secret, it is not something that is sprung a surprise, a gotcha; it is more informational. And that is what we were trying to do. Now let me say, further, that I asked the IG about the propriety of it to be sure of that regard. And it was also my understanding that he thought he had completed his questioning of witnesses, and that after he had done this, that then the Office of Government Ethics then asked for one more witness to be deposed, and that was done. And that was the Comptroller of the Currency, Gene Ludwig. And that that did not impinge on the other witnesses' depositions. Senator BOND. Mr. Chairman, my time is up. I thank the Secretary. I was under the impression that the IG interviews were to be kept confidential until they were all released at once. Even though this is not a trial, we all know that if memories are shaky, or if in the instance where there is perhaps something that needs to be dealt with, having access to somebody else's testimony before you give your testimony may enable you to tailor the facts. So that is a little troubling to me.