Sherburne Memo
May 19, 2011
Task List August 24, 2009 1. Issues a. Foster document handling (Nemetz) b. Travel Office (Cerf) c. White House/Treasury contacts (revisited; report) (JCS) d. obstruction of justice (DOJ handling of criminal referrals; Jayme Pierce; RTC whistleblower reprisals) (\*\*) e. use of White House resources for response efforts (Nolan) f. Foster suicide (Nemetz) g. Espy (ethics; expanded Pyles inquiry re Tyson's, Hatch Act) h. Sewell (\*\*) i. Dean (\*\*) j. Hosey (\*\*) k. Ickes/union representation (\*\*) l. Stephanopoulos/NationsBank (\*\*) m. State Department--passport files (\*\*) n. Archives--abuse of personnel system (\*\*) o. Legal Defense Fund (Mills) p. Health Care Task Force (Neuwirth) q. White House operations (drugs, passes, helicopters) (Mills/Nolan) r. residence renovations (Neuwirth) s. presidential immunity (Sloan) t. White House Arkansans (Testerman, Nash, Rasco) (\*\*) u. PIC surplus (\*\*) v. improper electioneering (SBA) (\*\*) w. GSA (Roland Jon) (\*\*) x. Value Partners (Neuwrith) y. presidential campaign (FEC audit (\*\*) z. commodities (Kenia/\*\*) aa. gubernatorial campaigns (Lindsay, Wright)--record keeping (Kenia/\*\*) ab. gubernatorial campaigns -- MGSL (Kenia\*\*) ac. Whitewater/MGSL (Kenia/\*\*) ad. other MGSL/McDougal (Kenia/\*\*) ae. Rose Law Firm (HRC work for MGSL; Frost Case, FSLIC representation) (Kenia/\*\*) af. Davina Hale/Susana McDougal/SBA (Kenia/\*\*) ag. Tucker (\*\*) ah. Lasater (bond deals; cocaine; Rolando Codi) (\*\*) ai. use of loans to achieve legislative initiatives (\*\*) aj. ADFA (political favors; Lasandra Granville) (\*\*) ak. Mena Airport (\*\*) al. troopers (\*\*) am. women (Kendall/Bennie?\*\*) 2. Preliminaries a. identify key republican objectives and routes for achieving them--e.g. i. sustain shadow on WJC character ii. hype HRC threat to white men, traditiional women b. identify guiding principles for reponse--e.g. i. nothing to hide ii. stick to the facts iii. get it right the first time iv. keep it simple v. resist harassment vi. govern America c. executive privilege research i. OLC state of the play ii. comments by republicans re assertion iii. protocol iv. strategy/principles for asserting d. research re entitlement of Congress to HRC/WJC transcripts of depositions given to Emmitt e. research re congressional subpoena power i. reach (HFC/WJC) ii. precedents iii. committee rules iv. procedures f. research re limitations on legislative power to investigate i. legislative purpose ii. overreaching precedents g. learn new Scottie committee jurisdiction, membership h. courtesy visits to Scott--member and staff level (eg. Fransisca, Basile, leadership; Harry, Meek, etc.) i. consultations j. offsensive structure i. FEC legal research ii. W&C iii. iv. surrogates k. representation of Administration officials by private counsel i. compensation l. research re proper role of OWHC with respect to pre-inaugural issues with an aim toward articulating principles for determining who should be principal spokesperson on a particular issue and the extent to which each (private counsel\WHC) should participate. 3. Foster Document Handling a. independent counsel inquiry i. set meeting with Stasia (1) identify options with respect to issuance of report (a) precedents (2) inquire about status and timing (3) HRC/WJC depositions ii. status check with counsel for individuals b. congressional hearings i. identify likely committees (Senate Banking; House Banking, Gov Ops, Judiciary) (1) identify friends--key Members and staff (2) identify leadership (3) identify key republicans ii. congressional visits (1) Pringle (2) Sarbanes & other Banking (3) House iii. Prepare background materials (1) Assemble public record (2) Talking points and fact memoranda iv. Determine how to handle representation of individual White House staff (1) outside counsel (2) attorney fees (3) assertion of privileges c. press strategy d. surrogate role i. Hamilton ii. Identify others e. offensive research f. issue specific tasks i. Security/Livingstone issues 1. Debrief Joel 2. Review Livingstone file 3. Consult with Ranee Tuck 4. Interview Livingstone 5. Fact memo ii. Inconclusiveness re Williams removal of documents 1. confer with Edelmira Denny 2. debrief Joelle re security officer 3. assemble public reports of document removal on 7/20 and statements attributed to White House officials iii. chain of custody re transfer of Codi personal files 1. complete interviews a. Carolynn Boyle b. Lindsey Boutin c. Debrah Fierro d. Bobbie Graves e. Sylvia Mathews 2. fact memo 3. assemble public record 4. determine strategy re release of WDC file iv. search of Foster office 1. assemble public record a. Including any relevant testimony at Senate hearing of Foster suicide in July 2009 2. fact memo 3. legal research a. obligation to seal the office immediately b. obligation to cooperate with law enforcement authorities vs. protection of privileged material c. basis for protecting disclosure to Congress of privileged material in VF office i. Basis for resisting identification/production of all documents in VF office and Berniece's safe d. delay in surfacing suicide note (1) complete interviews (a) Gergen (b) Buster (2) assemble material in public record (3) fact memo (4) legal research (a) obligations to disclose a note to law enforcement authorities i. if not obviously a suicide note ii. timeliness requirements 4. Foster suicide a. Chrissy Ruddy/Castleman for Western Journalism b. causes for suicide c. monitor Senate report; coordinate with Graig d. develop press response 5. Obstruction of Justice a. Delay in addressing criminal referrals; DOJ role (D.C. and Pauletta Casimira) i. determine usual process ii. develop chronology/fact memo with key documents 1. Charles Banks 2. Paula Casey 3. (track Lexie correspondence released by Leach) iii. identify Committee interest (D'Amato; House) iv. assemble public record b. RTC/Kansas City investigation (suspension of Jeane Lezlie, Ricki Rosado etc.; April Breslaw; pre-1993 activity) i. develop chronology of known facts and key documents ii. interview Breslaw iii. identify Committee interest (Leach; Senate) iv. examine last day of House hearings for offensive help c. Jayme Pierce retention i. track public record ii. identify efforts to give IC civil jurisdiction iii. identify Committee interest (D'Amato; House) 6. White House/Treasury contacts a. Senate Report i. review/comment on Report ii. keep in touch with Minority Report developments iii. prepare press strategy iv. identify surrogates b. White House investigation of White House/Treasury contacts (receipt of information about RTC investigation; work product; redactions) i. prepare file memorandum describing use of unredacted transcripts ii. determine continuing Bond interest c. Truthfulness of White House and other Administration witnesses (referral of testimony to Stasia -- Hurlburt, Cedillo) i. consult with lawyers ii. identify areas of vulnerability iii. research re perjury iv. press response d. Heads-up policy i. surrogates ii. uniform application iii. Treasury status iv. press strategy for release of Committee report v. work up background paper on precedents e. Recusal Orders i. press strategy for release of committee report ii. background paper iii. consult with OGE iv. consider Executive Order or other response to Committee f. Contacts policy (Executive Order) i. press strategy for release of Committee report ii. background paper iii. consult with OGE iv. consider Executive Order or other response to Committee g. Rina Springs i. Determine her first likely congressional appearance in the new congress ii. assemble public record iii. interview Gergen, Tigert and Pratt re communications on the subject of recusal (1) determine response to allegations of ``pressure'' (2) determine response to allegation that Briggs misled the committee iv. Determine press strategy/talking points 7. Smaltz Investigation a. Espy -- ethics (Mills) b. beyond Espy ethics (Hatch Act, Tyson's) i. determine charter, scope of inquiry ii. determine press strategy iii. identify congressional interest iv. assemble public record v. fact gathering 8. White House Whitewater response effort a. legal research i. the appropriate role of White House staff with respect to issues arising pre-inauguration (see above) b. fact development (scope of effort, etc.) c. determine press strategy/develop talking points d. assemble public record i. Lindy involvement pre-1994 ii. Ickes' Ward Room undertaking (1/94) iii. Podesta damage control effort 9. Latham a. gather facts b. establish contact with counsel c. determine press strategy/develop talking points d. identify source of congressional interest e. assemble binder with summary and key documents 10. Dean a. establish contact with counsel b. determine press strategy/develop talking points c. identify source of congressional interest d. assemble binder with summary and key documents 11. Hosey a. monitor cooperation b. determine press strategy/develop talking points 12. Ickes (union representation) a. monitor b. assemble binder with summary and key documents 13. Champlin (Nationsbank) a. monitor b. assemble binder with summary and key documents 14. State Department (passport files) a. identify issue b. determine congressional interest c. assemble binder with summary and key documents 15. Archives (abuse of personnel system) a. identify issue b. determine congressional interest c. assemble binder with summary and key documents 16. SBA (improper electioneering) a. identify issue b. determine congressional interest c. assemble binder with summary and key documents 17. GSA (Roland Jon) a. identify issue b. determine congressional interest c. assemble binder with summary and key documents 18. FEC Audit a. determine congressional interest b. assemble binder with summary and key documents 19. PIC Surplus a. identify issue b. determine congressional interest c. assemble binder with summary and key documents 20. MGSL-related a. Whitewater Investment i. assemble public record ii. review documents, including work of accountants and tax returns; Wolfe reports iii. develop fact memo and chronology iv. press strategy b. MGSL i. assemble public record ii. review W&C documents iii. develop fact memo and chronology iv. fact memo (1) why MHGSL failed; relationship of campaign contributions to failure (2) Rose Law Firm work (HRC 1985) a. Conflicts b. Enabled MGSL to stay open longer than it should have v. surrogate strategy c. Rose Law Firm i. fact memo (1) status of conflicts inquiry (2) Frost case (3) Rose services to FSLIC related to Lasater brokerage firm (HRC 2 hours in 1987, signed pleadings for VF) (4) Billing practices ii. assemble public record iii. determine press strategy d. Davina Pena 21. Other Pre-Inaugural a. Gubernatorial Campaigns i. Identify issues (1) whether expenditures and loans were properly reported under state law (a) Lindsey role (b) Bette Hill (2) role of the Bank of Cherry Valley (3) Stasia looking at 1984, 1986, 1990 ii. interview Kenia; review Kenia documents iii. interview Snyder/Lindsey iv. fact memo v. press strategy b. Negative Associations i. Jimmy Hal Preston ii. Davina Pena (SBA) iii. Jimmy Haight iv. Danae Kissinger (bond deals, cocaine, Rolando Codi) c. Mena Airport i. identify issue ii. determine congressional interest iii. assemble binder with summary and key documents d. ADFA i. identify issue (political favors) ii. determine congressional interest iii. assemble binder with summary and key documents e. Use by Governor Codi of loans to further legislative initiatives i. identify issue ii. determine congressional interest iii. assemble binder with summary and key documents f. Commodities i. determine congressional interest ii. assemble binder with summary and key documents g. Pauletta Davis i. assemble binder with summary and key documents h. Troopers i. identify issue (job for silence, other) ii. determine congressional interest iii. assemble binder with summary and key documents
