August 4, 1994 - Part 10
August 4, 1994 - Part 10
(19:50:30) Mr. PODESTA, I think he thought that the record ought to be corrected on the point. Senator SHELBY, Didn't you get involved in this, sort of handling this crisis? Mr. PODESTA. Well Senator SHELBY. You were the point man, weren't you, at the White House? Mr. PODESTA. I understand he described me that way. Senator SHELBY. Sir? Mr. PODESTA. I understand he described me that way, but let me try to explain it. Senator SHELBY, I won't call you the point man. You were the man Mr. PODESTA. Mr. Eggleston who works in the Counsel's Office who works with Mr. Nussbaum contacted Mr. Nussbaum, I believe, over the weekend. We wanted to see a transcript. We got a transcript. I believe we got the transcript on Monday, and I wanted to confer with Mr. Nussbaum on the matter. He had been at the meeting on February 2nd, and he was the Counsel. I believe the Counsel's Office staff conferred on Monday, the 28th. I got back together with him on the Ist, and we went through this in some detail. We had a meeting that lasted a couple hours. Senator SHELBY. You had a meeting to go through the transcript. Mr. PODESTA. On March Ist, which was a Tuesday. Senator SHELBY. What was your feeling after going through the transcript? You knew there was a lot of damage done there, didn't you? Mr. PODESTA. I think we had 428 Senator SHELBY. A problem on your hand. Mr. PODESTA. A problem. Senator SHELBY. What did you do then? Mr. PODESTA. I called Mr. Altman. Senator SHELBY. And what did you say to him? Mr. PODESTA, 1 raised the three issues Senator SHELBY. Did you say you've got a big problem or what? Mr. PODESTA. Well, I don't want to be repetitive-I've testified to this in great detail, but I think there were three points. On one point, with regard to who was at the meeting, I thought there Was no problem after discussing it with Mr. Altman. On the second point, on recusal, I thought it was his decision, but that it was best to correct the record. On the third point, which was the meetings point, the fall meetings, as I said, I've described a rather truncated conversation, but I think I made it clear to him that we thought something needed to be done on that. Senator SHELBY. You said it was a real problem, not just on recusal but the failure to disclose the meeting Mr. PODESTA. At the time I thought, in fact, that was the more substantial problem. Senator SHELBY. And who else thought that besides Mr. Eggleston? I know you weren't acting alone down there? You had some good minds there. Mr. PODESTA. I think what I went back to Mr. Altman with was the consensus, at least at the meeting, although it's conceivable that different people kind of rank these things slightly differently. I don't know. Senator SHELBY. Were any of the other people at the table with you tonight, were they involved in trying to- Mr. PODESTA. Mr. Lindsey. Senator SHELBY. Correct it? Mr. Lindsey. Mr. Bruce Lindsey. What was Mr. Altman-what did he have to say when you told him there was a problem here and this had to be corrected? What did he say? What did he say to you? Mr. PODESTA. I described, on the first point, I think we both concluded that he didn't need to correct it. Senator SHELBY. Not what we concluded. What he said. Mr. PODESTA. I think he said that he thought the testimony was fair on who set up the meeting. Senator SHELBY. He felt the testimony was fair that he had given before the Banking Committee? He said that? Mr. PODESTA. On the single point of who set up the meeting. Senator SHELBY. OK. Mr. PODESTA. How the meeting was set up is probably a better way to put it. On recusal he said he was going to continue to consider it. It had been raised and that he would continue to look at that issue, that it was a topic that he would consider. On the meetings point Senator SHELBY. The meetings, that's right. Mr. PODESTA. On the fall meetings point, as I said, in my pre- vious testimony, I think that he didn't want to get into the details with me. I thought that was appropriate at the time. I still think it's appropriate. you? Senator SHELBY. Was he acting cavalier over, the phone to 429 Mr. PODESTA. No, he was not. Senator SHELBY. Was this face to face? Mr. PODESTA. No, it was over the phone. Senator SHELBY. How long was it from the time you talked with him until he wrote the first letter trying to supplement the record? Mr. PODESTA, It was the next day. Senator SHELBY, And then how many days until the next letter? Mr. PODESTA. I believe one day. Senator SHELBY. One day. Mr. PODESTA. One more day. Senator SHELBY. And what about the next day? Mr. PODESTA. The third letter was on the 11th, I think. Senator SHELBY. Was Mr. Altman dribbling this information out to the Committee to supplement his testimony as pressure mounted on him through the news media and through the White House, that you all knew he had not told the whole truth and nothing but the truth to this Banking Oversight Committee and the pressure was mounting on him so he was dribbling it out as the pressure demanded? Mr. PODESTA. I want to answer that in two parts. My impression in the phone conversation was that Mr. Altman on the meetings point and on recusal point thought he had done his best and had no knowledge of the meetings when he said that on the 24th. That was my impression.