Bob Dole: “the bottom line is: The American people now know about Mr. Altman's unseemly meeting with White House officials…”

“the bottom line is: The American people now know about Mr. Altman's unseemly meeting with White House officials precisely because Banking Committee Republicans used the opportunity of an RTC oversight hearing to ask Madison-related questions. If there had been no hearing, it is unlikely this information would have surfaced any time soon. And it is clear that Mr. Altman recused himself only because of the negative publicity his meeting inspired. The Altman revelation also raises other important questions: Did Mr. Altman have any contacts with the FDIC while the FDIC's legal division was preparing its conflicts-of-interest opinion regarding the Rose law firm? If so, what were the nature of these contacts? Has Mr. Altman had any discussions with Webster Hubbell, a former partner of the Rose law firm and now Associate Attorney General, regarding the RTC's criminal referrals on Madison and the RTC's pending civil investigation? And has Mr. Hubbell himself had any contacts with officials at the FDIC, the RTC, or the White House about any element of the Madison-Whitewater affair? Why did White House counsel Bernard Nussbaum meet with Mr. Altman in the first place? Surely, he was aware of the impropriety of such a meeting. He had a lot of experience in the Watergate hearings. Has Mr. Nussbaum been in touch with the RTC, the FDIC, or the Justice Department about Madison-Whitewater?”