Word: altmans
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...true, he asked, that the RTC could transfer its civil probe of Madison into the hands of special prosecutor Fiske, who had been chosen two weeks earlier by Reno to launch the criminal inquiry into Whitewater? If so, Nussbaum told Hanson, she might want to inform Altman, still fully in charge of the Madison case, that such a transfer was possible under Fiske's charter. (Under oath, Nussbaum recalled suggesting this to Hanson, but insisted that he did so to help Altman get out of his conflict-of-interest problems...
Like so much else about the Clinton operation, the February effort to steer the RTC probe was informal, haphazard and sometimes desperate. It appeared to accelerate every time Altman, who oversaw the RTC, tried to remove himself from management of the Madison probe. The key events...
...Clinton damage-control team had one opening advantage: Roger Altman, a longtime friend of the President. As acting CEO of the RTC Altman was nominally independent, but as Deputy Treasury Secretary he was answerable to Clinton. On this day, however, Altman was about to tell White House officials he would recuse himself from any oversight of the Madison investigation. The reason was obvious: staying in place would create a conflict of interest as the RTC investigated a case involving his friend, the President. But stepping aside would mean that responsibility for the investigation would fall entirely to RTC general counsel...
...Altman went to the White House, where he intended to present his / recusal at the conclusion of a meeting designed to bring Clinton aides up to speed on procedural aspects of the Madison investigation. But White House counsel Nussbaum urged Altman to stay. Nussbaum worried aloud that Kulka was a smart, tough lawyer. At the hearings last week, Hanson recalled Nussbaum saying that Altman, if he did not recuse, could impose "discipline on the process and lead to a fairer result." After the meeting, Nussbaum pulled Hanson aside and asked how Kulka had been hired. (During the hearings, Nussbaum denied...
...Altman called Margaret Williams, Mrs. Clinton's chief of staff, and asked her to assemble a group of people quickly so he could inform them of his decision. At a meeting in Williams' office, Altman told Nussbaum, Ickes and Eggleston he would not recuse himself. Hanson arrived at the meeting late, after Altman left, and learned then of her boss's decision. Hanson recalled that Ickes asked her how many people were aware that she had advised Altman two days earlier to step aside. When Hanson replied that only three people knew, Hanson said, Ickes pronounced this good...