Bank of America CEO has no memory

[bannination]

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/bl ... s-20121127

In this long-awaited interrogation – Bank of America has been fighting to keep Moynihan from being deposed in this case for some time – Moynihan does a full Star Trek special, boldly going where no deponent has ever gone before, breaking out the "I don't recall" line more often and perhaps more ridiculously than was previously thought possible. Moynihan seems to remember his own name, and perhaps his current job title, but beyond that, he'll have to get back to you.

[Wneglia]

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/bl ... s-20121127

In this long-awaited interrogation – Bank of America has been fighting to keep Moynihan from being deposed in this case for some time – Moynihan does a full Star Trek special, boldly going where no deponent has ever gone before, breaking out the "I don't recall" line more often and perhaps more ridiculously than was previously thought possible. Moynihan seems to remember his own name, and perhaps his current job title, but beyond that, he'll have to get back to you.

In the portions of President Clinton's Jan. 17 deposition that have been made public in the Paula Jones case, his memory failed him 267 times. This is a list of his answers and how many times he gave each one.

I don't remember - 71
I don't know - 62
I'm not sure - 17
I have no idea - 10
I don't believe so - 9
I don't recall - 8
I don't think so - 8
I don't have any specific recollection - 6
I have no recollection - 4
Not to my knowledge - 4
I just don't remember - 4
I don't believe - 4
I have no specific recollection - 3
I might have - 3
I don't have any recollection of that - 2 I don't have a specific memory - 2
I don't have any memory of that - 2
I just can't say - 2
I have no direct knowledge of that - 2
I don't have any idea - 2
Not that I recall - 2
I don't believe I did - 2
I can't remember - 2
I can't say - 2
I do not remember doing so - 2
Not that I remember - 2
I'm not aware - 1
I honestly don't know - 1
I don't believe that I did - 1
I'm fairly sure - 1
I have no other recollection - 1
I'm not positive - 1
I certainly don't think so - 1
I don't really remember - 1
I would have no way of remembering that - 1
That's what I believe happened - 1
To my knowledge, no - 1
To the best of my knowledge - 1
To the best of my memory - 1
I honestly don't recall - 1
I honestly don't remember - 1
That's all I know - 1
I don't have an independent recollection of that - 1
I don't actually have an independent memory of that - 1
As far as I know - 1
I don't believe I ever did that - 1
That's all I know about that - 1
I'm just not sure - 1
Nothing that I remember - 1
I simply don't know - 1
I would have no idea - 1
I don't know anything about that - 1
I don't have any direct knowledge of that - 1
I just don't know - 1
I really don't know - 1
I can't deny that, I just -- I have no memory of that at all - 1

[O Really]

(utter irrelevance)

Brings up an interesting question for the Doc, though, doesn't it? Since he used a Clinton story of depo responses in addressing the Bank of America guy, does that mean he is defending the BoA guy's approach by saying it was Clintonesque in effectiveness? Or is he, by what appears to be a Clinton criticism, also criticizing the BoA guy? And if so, wouldn't it have been easier just to criticize the BoA guy instead of hauling up an out of context list from a guy two Presidents and 15 years ago?

But as to the answers, everybody giving a depo receives some standard instructions from their lawyer. Those include things like, "listen to the question," "answer only what is asked, then shut up," "don't guess - if you don't know, say you don't know; if you don't remember the answer to the specific question asked, say you don't remember." It does look like Moynihan followed those instructions to the extreme. Probably when they do "get the minutes" Moynihan will look a bit foolish, but he hasn't said anything to make things worse for himself.

I've always thought Clinton was enjoying playing yank-the-chain with people he knew were just on a witch-hunt that arrived dead at the door.

[O Really]

Regarding Doc's list - I'm pretty sure he didn't compile that himself, but whoever did is badly in need of a life. Besides, it's more fun to ridicule "meaning of 'is'" isn't it? Hmmm, I always wonder who got the last laugh out of all that hoopla.

[Wneglia]

...I've always thought Clinton was enjoying playing yank-the-chain with people he knew were just on a witch-hunt that arrived dead at the door.

If we adopt the GOP model we'll spend tens of millions of dollars investigating BofA and achieve nothing. My hope is that the current investigators and attorneys are more efficient, effective and fiscally responsible than the GOP was. After all, what BofA is alleged to have done is far more damaging to the nation and its people than Bill's diddling. Wouldn't you agree, Wneglia?

I would agree that BOFA's alleged transgressions are far worse than Clinton's. I was just responding to the statement that "Moynihan does a full Star Trek special, boldly going where no deponent has ever gone before, breaking out the "I don't recall" line more often and perhaps more ridiculously than was previously thought possible." Just trying to point out that Clinton was master of evasion and selective memory loss.

It is a shame that Brian is not more like his brother, Patrick.

[rstrong]

I've always thought Clinton was enjoying playing yank-the-chain with people he knew were just on a witch-hunt that arrived dead at the door.

(Source)

I’ll always remember riding into work on the train day after day when I was a (very) junior staffer in Newt Gingrich’s Speaker’s Office in 1998 and reading in the paper about how the Republican leadership in Congress was setting traps for Bill Clinton and playing some ingenious chess game with the impeachment process, and then arriving at work and finding that no one had any idea how things had gotten where they had or what would happen next.

[Wneglia]

[quote="Vrede"]I don't know. It's too bad that the article doesn't make a tally of Brian Moynihan dodges like you did of Bill's. Did Bill's deposition span "223 agonizing pages" and are the questions to Moynihan ones of such a serious nature that he has a greater ethical duty to both know the answers to them and respond honestly?

No, Clinton's deposition was only a mere 215 pages.

[neoplacebo]

I feel we are neglecting to give credit for the origination of the "to the best of my recollection" non answer to a given question, which would be the Watergate boys; Haldeman, Erlichman, Kliendeinst, Magruder, Strahan, the rest of the Nazis, Nixon, and Mitchell.

[O Really]

Not to mention Ollie North, who I thought of only because Super-S (I think) thought he'd be a good candidate for Secretary of Defense. During his "testimony" before the Senate Intelligence Committee, North took the Fifth Amendment at least 40 times, as well as declining to answer a many questions put to him by senators and committee staff members.

[rstrong]

Not to mention Ollie North, who I thought of only because Super-S (I think) thought he'd be a good candidate for Secretary of Defense. During his "testimony" before the Senate Intelligence Committee, North took the Fifth Amendment at least 40 times, as well as declining to answer a many questions put to him by senators and committee staff members.

And still he was convicted of accepting an illegal gratuity, obstruction of a congressional inquiry, and destruction of documents. (But the ruling was overturned since he had been granted immunity.)

And then there's his fellow conspirators:

Caspar Weinberger, Secretary of Defense, was indicted on two counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice on June 16, 1992. Weinberger received a pardon from George H. W. Bush on December 24, 1992 before he was tried.

William Casey, Head of the CIA. Thought to have conceived the plan, was stricken ill hours before he would testify. Reporter Bob Woodward reported Casey knew of and approved the plan.

Robert C. McFarlane, National Security Adviser, convicted of withholding evidence, but after a plea bargain was given only 2 years probation. Later pardoned by President George H. W. Bush.

Elliott Abrams, Assistant Secretary of State, convicted of withholding evidence, but after a plea bargain was given only 2 years probation. Later pardoned by President George H. W. Bush.

Alan D. Fiers Chief of the CIA's Central American Task Force, convicted of withholding evidence and sentenced to one year probation. Later pardoned by President George H. W. Bush.

Clair George Chief of Covert Ops-CIA, convicted on 2 charges of perjury, but pardoned by President George H. W. Bush before sentencing.

Fawn Hall, Oliver North's secretary was given immunity from prosecution on charges of conspiracy and destroying documents in exchange for her testimony.

Jonathan Scott Royster Liaison to Oliver North was given immunity from prosecution on charges of conspiracy and destroying documents in exchange for his testimony.

John Poindexter National Security Advisor, convicted of 5 counts of conspiracy, obstruction of justice, perjury, defrauding the government, and the alteration and destruction of evidence. The Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling that overturned these convictions.

Duane Clarridge An ex-CIA senior official, he was indicted in November 1991 on 7 counts of perjury and false statements relating to a November 1985 shipment to Iran. Pardoned before trial by President George H. W. Bush.

Richard V. Secord Ex-major general in the Air Force who organized the Iran arms sales and Contra aid. He pleaded guilty in November 1989 to making false statements to Congress. Sentenced to two years of probation.

[rstrong]

"We are not trying to do anything to try and overthrow the Nicaraguan government."
- Ronald Reagan, 1983

"You bet he didn't remember; in fact, I'm sure that he worked overtime to make sure he did not forget to forget."
- Neil Reagan on his brother and the Iran arms sales.

Back in 1987 I found myself in the Heinneken bar in Moscow debating the Iran-Contra hearings with a couple Russians and a Brit. They were trying to convince me that Reagan was another Nixon.

I disagreed, saying: "When Nixon said he didn't know what was going on, everyone was afraid he might be lying. When Reagan says he doesn't know what's going on, everyone is afraid he might be telling the truth."

[O Really]

Yes, those were the days...when government corrupters took their corruption seriously. None of this panty-waist "failing to say "I approve this ad" stuff. When accustations against top government officials could lead to convictions and not just a "like" on Facebook. And when it took at least owning a red shirt to be accused of being a "communist" - far more substantiation than some use now to arrive at that conclusion.

[neoplacebo]

Not to mention Ollie North, who I thought of only because Super-S (I think) thought he'd be a good candidate for Secretary of Defense. During his "testimony" before the Senate Intelligence Committee, North took the Fifth Amendment at least 40 times, as well as declining to answer a many questions put to him by senators and committee staff members.

Yeah, I remember that suggestion....he was probably serious, too. Weird. Ollie is the guy who sold weapons to Iranians who then gave them to Hezbollah who then used them to blow up the Marine barracks in Lebannon. I think he should have been tried for treason instead of being considered for SecDef.