August 4, 1994 - Part 10
August 4, 1994 - Part 10
(19:45:35) Senator DODD. I don't disagree with that. I'm saying if you're ana question, you've been a witness, I've been a witness, and say let me look at my notes as I answer you, or in a trial you ,tauve the right to look at your notes to refresh your memory. So the fact that you have, you've been over them, the fact that you're re 426 sponding to a question and your lawyer says, guess, do your when we're now down to an important matter in this matter I like to rely on a guess, that's why I went over the distinction between a concluded claim and a protective claim. I appreciate you reading into the record because our witnesses do have an opportunity-we're on a tight schedule but nonetheless, they have a right to come back if they didn't like it and be deposed. The CHAIRMAN. Absolutely. Senator Shelby. Mr. ICKES. Mr. Chairman, I just want to make clear here. I think the statement read by the Senator is a little out of context. If you go to the preceding page, page 86 Senator DODD. Which Senator are you talking about now? Mr. ICKES. Senator Domenici. I think if you read the lead-in that, on line (19:46:38)(tape #10094 ends) 17, page 86. Question: Did anyone keep notes or records of the White House response group meetings? First, let me ask were official records of the White House Whitewater response team kept? Answer: No. Question: Was someone required to take notes? Answer: No, Then the following question. So I think the-the following aspect that was already read. So I think that the notes referred to on page 87 referred to notes that were taken in connection or not taken in connection with the Whitewater response team. In any event, the fact of the matter is I was not permitted by the Senate Counsel to review this one page of notes that I had taken during the--or in connection with the meeting on February 2nd. And those notes make very clear that one of the things that was being discussed, one of the alternatives was to commence litigation to preserve a claim. The CHAIRMAN. Let me just stop you there. Is it my understanding when you use the phrase protective suit-protective claim, you using that as another way of expressing point B on your notes, where it says "or, B, commence litigation to preserve claim"? Mr. ICKES. It is, Senator. It's just a different phrasing. The CHAIRMAN. I just wanted to understand your use of the word, and so even though it doesn't say protective claim here, and you've used that, you're using that interchangeably with the words on line B. Mr. ICKES. That's correct, Senator, The CHAIRMAN, Senator Shelby, Senator SHELBY. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I know some of this has been gone over, and I tried to get into it, but I'm going to 90 into it one more time. Mr. Podesta, on the 24th-I believe it was the 24th of February when Mr. Altman testified at the oversight hearing of the Banking Committee, this Committee. You were at the White House that day, were you not? Mr. PODESTA. I was. Senator SHELBY. You did not come up to the Committee hearing. Mr. PODESTA. I did not, Senator SHELBY. Mr. Eggleston, as you well know, testified that he called you at the White House, He ran out of here, ran out of the room-I believe it was the other room but in this building, Dirksen Building, and he knew immediately, although he was seat- 427 ed near the back of the room, that something had gone wrong, in other words, that Mr. Altman was not forthcoming, was not candid and he called like an emergency call, and he said he called you. Do you recall the call? Mr. PODESTA. Senator, I don't believe I received that call. Senator SHELBY. Could it have been someone in your office? Mr. PODESTA. It could have been. Perhaps I could explain. I spent virtually the entire day in meetings with the FBI and later with some phone company representatives on some legislation that is now working its way through Congress to help update the Wiretap Act. I don't believe I was available to receive the call. He could have called my deputy, Mr. Stern. Senator SHELBY. Wasn't that call sort of like an SOS call? It was an emergency call there to the White House. Mr. PODESTA. I was not paged-I don't think-I wouldn't describe it that way. I did say, and I think in my testimony, that I think the next day, Mr. Eggleston was concerned about this, and he came and saw me. Senator SHELBY. What did he say to you? He came to see you Mr. PODESTA. He was concerned that the subject-in Mr. Altman's recounting of the meeting on February 2nd, the subject of recusal was not mentioned in his testimony on the 24th, and he was concerned about that. Senator SHELBY. Did he say that you all were going to have to control this some way? You're going to have to rehabilitate Mr. Altman's or supplement his testimony?