August 4, 1994 - Part 1
August 4, 1994 - Part 1
(09:25:29) The meeting was placed on my calendar by my assistant. She noted in the entry that the Office of the Chief of Staff wanted me to attend a meeting regarding the statute of limitations. This was the only information I had about the meeting prior to joining it. I had no discussions with Mr. Altman about the issue raised at the meeting prior to the meeting, nor did I have any contact with anyone at the Treasury Department concerning the subject of this meeting prior to it being held. I joined the February 2nd meeting in progress. Mr. Altman, with whom I had had previous contacts, as a member of the Administration's health care team, was speaking to the assembled group. As I recall, Mr. Altman was explaining a process by which the Resolution Trust Corporation staff would present to Mr. Altman a recommendation as to whether or not to seek a waiver of the statute of limitations from the President and Mrs. Clinton in connection with the RTC's investigation of an Arkansas bank. The significance of this for my office was that if and when a waiver were sought, it was sure to generate a new wave of press inquiries, to which my office, in conjunction with the rest of the White House, should be ready to respond. Mr. Altman went on to explain that he might not be the official to whom his waiver issue would be presented. In this context, he raised the issue of recusal from the process he was describing. He then explained that if he recused himself, a member of the RTC staff would make the final decision. He also stated that, in any case, if he did not recuse himself, he intended to follow the RTC staff recommendation, whatever it might be. I took him to mean that he did not see any need to overrule the RTC staff and that they would decide the proper way to discharge their duties. I then expressed my personal reaction to what Mr. Altman had said, questioning why he would recuse himself if he intended to follow the staff recommendation. 274 It seemed to me, by accepting the staff recommendation, no one would challenge his integrity. I recall Mr. Nussbaum responding to my statement by saying it was a decision that Mr. Altman would have to make. I do not have a clear recollection of the rest of the meeting. it lasted for approximately 45 minutes? I left the meeting when it was over. I took no action, other than to make a mental note to be alert to events on this issue as they unfolded. Several days after the meeting on February 2nd, I received a call from Mr. Altman telling me that he had decided not to recuse himself, and asking if I could gather a few White House staff members so he could make his announcement. I do not recall if Mr. Altman specified the staff members; however, I did call the White House Counsel's Office and reached Mr. Nussbaum or Mr. Eggleston, I cannot recall whom. I called Mr.'Ickes and Mr. Stephanopoulos. Mr. Altman stopped by my office in the west wing shortly thereafter and spoke briefly to the individuals who had gathered in my office, and then hurried away to his next appointment. That concludes my prepared remarks and I welcome any questions this Committee might have. The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Ms. Williams. Let me pick up right at the end of your statement on this second meeting when Mr. Altman came back to indicate that he had decided not to recuse himself. What did he say in that meeting?. Ms. WILLIAMS. He said I am not going to recuse myself. I have decided not to recuse myself The CHAIRMAN. How long would you say that meeting lasted? MS. WILLIAMS. It did not last long at all, because Mr. Altman had another appointment to get to. He was in fact standing, as I recall, and had his briefcase in his hand. The CHAIRMAN. Did he give his reasons? Ms. WILLIAMS. No, he did not, not that I recall. The CHAIRMAN. Now, do I understand, you indicate that your best estimate is that the meeting the day before lasted about 45 minutes? Now last night, Mr. Eggleston estimated that about half the, meeting time was devoted to the recusal issue. Would that be your recollection, or not? Ms. WILLIAMS. I have not thought about the amount of time,' quite frankly. I just remember, on the whole, it was about 45 minutes. The CHAIRMAN. Well, I want you to think about it for a minute. How long do you think the recusal part would have taken, as a percentage of the whole meeting? Ms. WILLIAMS. Well, since I came in late to the meeting, it is dif- ficult for me to say if it were half of the meeting. I do not recall, the exact time that I came into the meeting, but it was in progress, They had settled into a meeting.