"Hicks:
There's no reason to become adversarial here."
"Feinberg:
Yes there is."
Sander
Hicks Interviews Kenneth Feinberg, director
of the 911 Victims Compensation Fund
SH:
Has the number of claimants gone up in the past
week?
KF:
They certainly have. Last week we had 1995, today
we're over 2200. We are now over 75%. And I remain
cautiously optimistic as I always have that by
the December 22nd deadline, we will
reach the magic minimum that I always put in my
mind of 90%.
SH:
I also talked to Philip Berg, former Deputy Attorney
General of Pennsylvania who is representing Ellen
Mariani. I assume you're familiar with this lawsuit…they
make allegations of "strong arm tactics and hostility"
towards Ellen Mariani.
KF:
Who is Ellen Mariani?
SH:
Ellen Mariani is a 9/11 widow, she lost her husband….
KF:
And she's brought a lawsuit against the airlines?
SH:
She's brought a RICO suit against both Bush Presidents,
Cheney, Mr. Ashcroft, and yourself.
KF:
And I'm included?
SH:
You're named.
KF:
I'm named. And she brought this suit where?
SH:
it was filed in Philadelphia, it's a RICO suit,
a racketeering suit. The essence of it is that
she is claiming, she feels that the 9/11 Compensation
Fund is a "hush fund" the issue here for her is
the unanswered questions that surround 9/11, the
whole Bush Family/Saudi connections, the Bush/bin
Laden connections….
KF:
And I'm part of the cover-up, through this "hush
money" program?
SH:
Well the allegations have to do, more specifically
than that, and I wanted to see if I could get
a comment from you on this.
KF:
I doubt it but go ahead.
SH:
The allegations have to do with what they feel
was a broach of attorney/client privilige, they
allege that you contacted her one-time attorney,
she used to be represented by Don Nolan, of the
Nolan Law Group in Chicago, and they allege that
you sent a letter to Don Nolan, urging Mrs. Mariani
to get into the fund. Do you know anything about
that letter?
KF:
Uhhhhhh. Nooo.
[OFF
THE RECORD]
deleted.
[ON
THE RECORD]
SH:
OK, let's get back on the record….
KF:
On the record
SH:
Trying to be a good professional journalist here….
KF:
Go ahead, on the record.
SH:
So, you're saying that you, you don't have any
knowledge of the letter.
KF:
I'm not saying that. On the record, here's
what I'm saying. I have not seen this lawsuit,
or read the complaint, so I can not comment. I
know nothing about it. And therefore can not respond.
SH:
Right but before we went off the record, you just
said something like you didn't know about this
letter, like you weren't familiar
KF:
I'm not familiar with the letter.
SH:
So you don't recall sending a letter on the…
KF:
[a degree louder] I have no recollection…I'm
telling you what I want to put on the record.
All I'm saying on the record, ALL I'm saying on
the record is, I haven't seen the complaint,
I don't know about the allegations. I have no
comment. Unquote.
SH:
Right, but before we went on the record….
KF:
[quite a few degrees louder] DO WHAT YOU WANT
THEN. DO YOU HEAR WHAT I'M TELLIN' YA? NOW IF
YOU WANT TO SAY, "BEFORE I WENT ON, AFTER I WENT
ON, I DON'T RECALL THE LETTER" that's up to you.
Now I'm just telling you what I'm saying, on
the record. And that's all I'm saying on the
record.
SH:
Right right right. OK, because the…[long
pause while Hicks tries to collect his thoughts]
well, they say they have copies of this letter.
KF:
I haven't seen the complaint. I know nothing about
the complaint, or the allegations. Therefore I
can not respond to anything that's in the complaint.
SH:
I understand you haven't been served papers….what
have your experiences been with Ellen Mariani?
KF:
I have no experiences with Ellen Mariani.
SH:
Well you never wrote a hand-written note on this
letter to Don Nolan?
KF:
Now listen to me, I'll tell you one more time.
SH:
There's no reason to become adversarial here.
KF:
Yes there is.
SH:
I'm pursuing this to the utmost.
KF:
I understand that. You're a good reporter. I don't
know anything about this lawsuit, or the complaint.
So I don't recall. I have no knowledge.
SH:
That's the Ronald Reagan….
KF:
Look I gotta get off the phone. This is where
I am. When I see the complaint, Sander give me
a call. Maybe I'll have a comment on it. When
I read it and see what she says and check my notes
and my records, I may be able to respond. Right
now, all I can tell you right now, and you're
a good reporter I have nothing personal, but all
I can tell you right now, is I have no recollection
of any of this, and I will have to read the Complaint
before I can respond.
SH:
Good enough. Thanks.
KF:
Thank you, Bye Bye.