August 4, 1994 - Part 2
August 4, 1994 - Part 2
(10:30:52) Mr. MCLARTY, I believe the questions about Mr, Altman's testimony were after he testified here February 24th. Senator KERRY. I am saying in terms of a question, it raises a question in terms of his credibility before the Committee. Mr. McLARTY. I am sorry. I understand the question. Senator KERRY. But it was a Treasury-initiated meeting? Mr. McLARTY. That is correct, Senator Kerry. Senator KERRY. So in all of this hullabaloo about Whitewater/ Madison, there are only four meetings over the space of 5 months, all of them initiated by Treasury and that is the full measure of your knowledge or involvement in this. Is that not accurate? Mr. McLARTY, Senator, I believe it is. I have not recast the meetings quite as precisely, but I believe you are correct in how you outlined them. Senator KERRY Well, that is certainly not a sign of a White House obsessed by this issue. Mr. McLARTY. Senator, I agree with that, and that is why, in my opening comments, why I tried to appropriately point out what we were focused on in the White House from September through the March time period. Senator KERRY, Now, despite the fact that you are as close as you are to the President, there was no, there is nothing in the record, no conversation, anything that indicates that somehow the President asked you to monitor this or stay in touch with it closely or anything, is there? Mr. McLARTY. That is correct, Senator, Senator KERRY. Now I want to come back to an issue that does concern the Committee, and see if I can maybe ask a question, and Ms. Williams, you can maybe help me. If it is an opinion you do not want to offer, then do not. Obviously, the Treasury was initiating an awful lot of outreach on this and many of us think much of that was inappropriate. I would think you, in hindsight, would probably have that judgment I hope that that may come up. On this meeting where Mr. Altman comes to the White House, I conclude that there was clearly a lower-level White House view, an individual view expressed by some people working in what they thought may have been the best interests of the President, and who felt that Mr. Altman did not need to recuse, for whatever reasons. Mr. Altman goes home, makes a decision, comes back and it seems is rather anxious to kind of let people know that he is going to stay on. I guess we are all sort of left wondering, I mean, is it your sense that he was trying to please people, or curry favor, or something by letting everybody know if this was not, in fact, a big-deal meeting? Why else would he call and get a group together in order to notify them of this non-recusal? 296 MS. WILLIAMS. Once again, I am hesitant to speculate because,. know speculation -just blows up on you, but I will say it was not my sense that he was in any way currying favor. I would not think that. Senator KERRY. Was there any rational reason for doing it? I am sorry, my time is up. The CHAIRMAN. Yes, we can come back to this. I will certainly see that you get a second round. Mr. MCLARTY. Mr. Chairman, if I may inquire of the Chair? thought Senator Kerry noted, and I should have clarified it during his comment, that the October meeting, as I understand it DeVore perhaps called, was in my office. That is not correct. Senator KERRY. Oh, I am sorry, I apologize. Mr. MCLARTY. That is not correct. Senator KERRY. It was the February 2nd meeting in your office? Mr. MCLARTY. Yes. Senator KERRY. I apologize and stand corrected. Mr. McLARTY. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The CHAIRMAN. Senator Faircloth. OPENING COMMENTS OF SENATOR FAIRCLOTH Senator FAIRCLOTH. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. McLarty, we have talked a lot here about the RTC criminal referrals that name the Clinton's and about the so-called, "Heads Up, that was first given to the White House on September the 29th of last year. But that was not the first time a Clinton appointee knew about these criminal referrals. In fact, a Clinton appointee not only knew that those referrals existed, she knew what was in them. Early in the Administration, President Clinton asked for the resignation of every U.S. Attorney in America, even those in most cases he did not have a replacement for. But one place he was ready, and that was Little Rock. He immediately appointed Paula Casey, a campaign worker, former law student of Bill Clinton, who became the U.S. Attorney in Little Rock. She not only had the criminal referrals in Little Rock, she knew what was in them. Mr. McLarty, do you know Paula Casey? Mr. McLARTY. I am acquainted with Paula Casey.