August 2, 1994 - Part 13
August 2, 1994 - Part 13
(02:00:43) I mean this is here because RTC procedures were not followed. Are my colleagues concerned that a U.S. Congressman published almost in full RTC sequences and notes from an investigator? That it has been identified publicly as Jean Lewis? Are we concerned that in a campaign in 1992 a candidate had an article appear about this issue? And subsequently there were criminal referrals and a U.S. Attorney may have been pressured? Now if that's true Senator GRAMM. Is that a Senator you are talking about? Senator KERRY. No, but I'm saying-no, candidate Clinton, this appeared-this is a matter of fact and it's appeared publicly. Now, if you're in the White House and you know there is somebody in the RTC who has already leaked information about you and you know by virtue of public accounts, at least to the best of your ability to believe them because they're in the newspapers, that a U.S. Attorney might have been pressured just prior an election to try to indict you. All of a sudden you are hearing through these other public sources that the RTC was hell-bent-for-leather to investigate some- thing that happened years ago in Texas or Arkansas or something) would you not, in the norms of political behavior in Washington, have some concern that it be fair, that there be some sort of proc- ess that you don't have this person who was willing to leak, this person who was willing to pressure, then engaged in a hell-bent- 561 for-leather, get-them-at-any-cost effort. Now, I don't know if that's happened. Senator GRAMM. Would you like me to respond to that, I can do it very briefly. The answer is I'd be very concerned, but given I wasn't born yesterday, I'd stay way far away from it. Senator KERRY. I agree with it but let's get there, you see, because what we've heard are a whole set of other kind of conspiracy theories and concepts. I'm not prepared to draw a conclusion et, but I have kind of a basic commonsense streak that tells me that this is not what a lot of people have tried to make it out to be, that some folks may have had some bad judgment Mr. Altman has very candidly said, he should have recused himeself, he should have stepped back, he should have done it in writing, and he should not 'have gone to the meeting and so forth. But it seems to me what you may have here more than some grand conspiracy is a bad job of some damage control based on some paranoia about people in the RTC who might be on a runaway express train. Now, I don't see any evidence of any more than that. And I don't think you can show us a lot of evidence of more than that. Maybe some people in the White House behaved not so well in bow to deal with this, but nobody interfered with it. His recusal didn't affect anything one way or the other. The President signed the statute of limitations that continued this. The White House called Mr. Altman and they said we're concerned about your testimony, It's not out in full. I don't want to draw a conclusion tonight. I think also that it's wrong for you to draw a conclusion tonight. It is appropriate for us to sit reasonably to measure and to judge this, and I just think we ought to do that and we obviously shouldn't do it at 2 a.m. The CHAIRMAN. Well, I think we've bad a good full day and Mr. Altman, let me say to you and your family who's been with you throughout the day, I know it's been taxing but necessary as you well know. You indicated a desire to stay tonight as long as necessary and you've done that. We do have other witnesses to hear from. I would just express a view, before we recess until tomorrow morning, that I do think we need to hear all the evidence. We've got to bear all the witnesses we've got others to come, and in due course, all of us will be called upon to make judgments. When we have all the information, I think that's probably the time to do it. The Committee stands, in recess until 9:30 a.m. tomorrow morning. (02:05:13) [Recess.] [Whereupon, at 2:05 a.m. the hearing was adjouned to reconvene at 9:30 a.m., on Wednesday, August 3, 1994. (02:05:15) Hearings hosts DON BODE and NINA TOTENBERG close out coverage from tv studio) (02:05:44) WETA logo, PBS funding credits