August 4, 1994 - Part 9
August 4, 1994 - Part 9
(18:25:46) Mr. STEPHANOPOULOS. Part of my job, sir, is to anticipate press inquiries and I believe that it was fair to say there would be one. Senator HATCH. Right, but up to that point there had been no press inquiries? Mr. STEPHANOPOULOS. No, but certainly part of my job is to anticipate them. Senator HATCH. I understand. Ellen Kulka testified earlier this week that Stephens had been hired nearly one month earlier. Mr. STEPHANOPOULOS. I don't know when he was hired. Senator HATCH. You hadn't had any press inquiries up to that point, though, is my point. Mr. STEPHANOPOULOS. Not up to that point. Senator HATCH. During your deposition, you were asked whether you'd contacted the White House press office following your call with Mr. Steiner in order to alert them of these "anticipated press calls" and you admitted that you had not; right? Mr. STEPHANOPOULOS. Not immediately but I wouldn't necessarily do it immediately, I run into them several times during the day. Senator HATCH. Right, I understand. From Mr. Steiner's testimony, it really doesn't appear that you were very concerned about the press calls. Mr. STEPHANOPOULOS. Oh, no, I was concerned in finding out the information of how he had come to be hired, anticipating the calls. I'm not suggesting, sir, that my anger was about the press calls. My anger was real and it was about the fact that he was chosen. Those are two separate matters. What I needed to know was the information anticipating the press calls and that's what I got from Mr. Steiner and that ended the phone conversation. Senator HATCH. I think you made that position clear before. According to Mr. Steiner's testimony, you asked him how Mr. STEPHENS. had been hired; right? Mr. STEPHANOPOULOS. Yes, sir. Senator HATCH. Mr. Steiner testified that after he told you how Mr- Stephens had been hired, you told him that Mr. Stephens should be disqualified for conflict of interest and that you have testified that, you basically said this when you gave your deposition. Mr. STEPHANOPOULOS. I know I believe that he has a conflict of interest, Sir, yes. 402 Senator HATCH. That was your point, yes. As I mentioned earlier this Committee has uncovered at least three separate pieces of evi- dence that you urged Treasury officials to attempt to fire Mr. Stephens. The Altman testimony, the Hanson testimony and the Steiner Mr. STEPHANOPOULOS. Sir, that's where I have a question, sir. I have not seen the Altman testimony and I'm not certain that in the testimony of Ms. Hanson it was clear when she talked to Mr. Steiner or whether he confirmed that at all. I'm not familiar with the Altman testimony. I would point out, sir, that this was looked at by the Special Counsel, Mr. Fiske, and he found no criminal conduct. The Office of Government Ethics found no ethical misconduct. Senator HATCH. That's not my point. My point is that we feel we've uncovered three different pieces of evidence from the three of them that you -wanted Mr. Stephens fired. Now, Mr. Stephanopoulos, let me just- Senator KERRY. They're not technically different, Senator. They're built on each other. Senator HATCH. I understand. Senator KERRY. Don't just dismiss that. They're not three separate pieces so let's have the record be clear. Senator HATCH. Well, let's look at them then later when you have time. I think they're pretty clear. I would like you to read from page 2 of the Steiner diary transcript where it begins "after Howell Rains." Mr. STEPHANOPOULOS. Sir, it's not my diary. Senator HATCH. It's not your diary, but I'd like you to read it. "After Howell Rains" and just read down through the sentence which ends with "stupid and improper" because this is what he says. Mr. STEPHANOPOULOS. It is not my diary. I'm not going to read it. Senator HATCH. I just want to see if we can refresh your recollection with this. If you can't say you don't Mr. STEPHANOPOULOS. I'm looking at it, I've heard it several times. I'm not going to read it. The CHAIRMAN. Senator Hatch, I don't know that he should be expected to read somebody else's diary. I think he can read it off a piece of paper to himself or you can state it to him. Senator HATCH. Let me just read it. "After Howell Rain from The New York Times called to say that they were going to write a brutal editorial, RA decided to recuse himself Harold and George then called to say that BC was furious. They also asked how Jay Stephens, the former USA, had been hired to be outside counseling in this case. Simply outrageous that RTC had hired him. But even. more amazing when George then suggested to me that we needed to find a way to get rid of him. Persuaded George that firing him would be incredibly stupid and improper." Now, let me just ask you that, during your deposition when you were asked about whether you told Mr. Steiner to get rid of or fire Mr. Stephens, you told the Committee "I just don't remember." Mr. STEPHANOPOULOS. As I repeated today, sir, yes. Senator HATCH. Given the testimony this week and after you 've had an opportunity to read that and that's why I wanted you to 403 read it. I wasn't trying to embarrass you, I just wanted you to read the darned thing. Mr. STEPHANOPOULOS, It's no embarrassment, sir. Senator HATCH. OK, Let me ask you the question again. Did you ask the--did you ask Mr. Steiner whether the RTC or anyone else could fire or get rid of Mr. Stephens? Mr. STEPHANOPOULOS. I don't remember saying that at all, sir. Senator HATCH. Is it possible you did? Mr. STEPHANOPOULOS. Again, that is not my memory of the conversation. Senator HATCH. So as far as you're concerned Mr. STEPHANOPOULOS. That's not the testimony I gave to this Committee.