August 5, 1994 - Part 4
August 5, 1994 - Part 4
(14:20:28) I raised some issues with Mr. Cutler, who is still here, in my opening statement today. I'm going to insert in the record a legal brief we have that makes it clear to us that the RTC is an inde- pendent agency. I just want to make it clear that I hope, whether the Executive Branch agrees with that or not, they'll act in a manner that respects our view so that we're not back in here again on some matter that challenges that question. I don't foresee a problem in that area, but I want to make it clear that that's our feeling on it. Let me say just a couple of other things, and I apologize for the length of this time, but there are several wrap-up things that I think need to be said. I think, with respect to the first day of our bearings, the tragic death of Mr. Vincent Foster, that the record is now complete in that area. It's just a terrible loss in terms of the circumstances that attach to that situation. But, I think that we were charged with reviewing those facts, and we've done so. I think that issue is clearly examined and settled and should be seen as so. I would hope that it could be left there so this family can deal with the grief they feel. Anybody that has a hard time thinking about it ought to think about how they would feel if it happened in their immediate family, and how you try to pick up the pieces and go on from there. It's been said by many that Fiske, Mr. Fiske, the Special Counsel, has already came back and said, with respect to the areas in which we've done our review, that there was no basis for criminal action that he saw. His finding was clear on that. That was an important finding by him. We found, at least in my view-I don't see anything that obviates that, but I'm not speaking for the Committee and to the extent that there is anything in our record that is in addition to what be may have, then, obviously, we, in effect, are automatically conveying that to the Justice Department and to him, so that be can add that to his body of information. I want to just finish now by saying two things. I want to, again, thank the staff. When I was paying a tribute to you for the extraordinary effort you made you were out of the room, but I can't thank you enough. We'd never met 6 weeks ago and we made this climb together to get this job done. I'm deeply appreciative to you. I thank your family for the sacrifice. And the same with the staff here. We've got exceptional people at work here. They work 7 days a week. They don't complain about it and they do fine work for the country. That's the way our system works and thank goodness we have people who are willing to do the work. In terms of individuals in this situation, I set forth, in my opening statement, a test that I was going to apply with respect to statements by witnesses before this Committee, both depositions and direct testimony. I said that people are going to have to be ac- curate, complete, and fully responsive to the questions, and I meant by that, not on the third try, the 10th try, the 15th try, 10 800 days later, 20 days later, or 50 days later, but at the time the ques tion was posed. We've got some problems in that area, and I think the record is there to establish that. I'm troubled about that. I'm troubled about the fact that in the instances of some, I thought that was still a factor we were having to deal with right here this room. My view is that, I'm going to express some of my personal judgments in that regard directly, and to people who are in positions to receive that information. We don't have any power to hire or fire anybody. I mean, that's not our job, nor should it be, although we can have strong feelings about the performance of individuals. In terms of my personal views, my first instinct is to want to convey I that in a direct, personal way, as opposed to a public way, but I think there are issues outstanding in that area that are important I think it's absolutely critical and should be clearly understood because I made this point as directly as I could to the Treasury Secretary when he was here and to Mr. Cutler, when he was a witness and he is still here in the room, that we can't have a situation in the future where anybody in the Executive Branch comes before this Committee or any Committee of the Congress and evasive answer, an incomplete answer, or a less than the answer whatever the circumstances. And then, not at the earliest moment, if it's done by inadvertence, repair that fully. There are times when people can omit something from an answer because there's a misinterpretation or something doesn't come to mind or something can happen and that's understandable. We make an al- lowance for that.