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Release The Committee on Energy and Commerce W.J. "Billy" Tauzin, Chairman Tauzin, Greenwood Request Additional Documents from Martha Stewart Washington (August 6) - As
part of their continuing investigation into ImClone Systems, House Energy and
Commerce Committee Chairman Billy Tauzin (R-LA) and Oversight and Investigations
Subcommittee Chairman James Greenwood (R-PA) today sent a letter to Martha
Stewart requesting additional information regarding the sale of her ImClone
stock by Merrill Lynch stockbroker Peter Bacanovic. (Attached below is a copy of the letter sent
today to James F. Fitzpatrick, Esq.) August 6, 2002 Dear Ms. Stewart: The Committee on Energy and
Commerce continues its investigation into the conduct of ImClone Systems, Inc.,
and the development of its anti-cancer drug known as Erbitux. As you know, in
the course of our investigation, Committee staff received a briefing from
ImClone's outside counsel on June 3, 2002, regarding the findings of a probe
conducted by the outside counsel relating to possible insider trading or tipping
by ImClone officers or directors of ImClone shares in the weeks before the Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) refused to file ImClone's application for Erbitux. In that briefing, outside counsel
disclosed that you sold all of your ImClone shares on December 27, 2002, the day
before ImClone received the FDA's refusal-to-file letter for Erbitux. On June 5,
2002, Committee staff contacted one of your attorneys to determine the accuracy
of the report of your trade and to provide you an opportunity to explain the
circumstances of your December 27th
trade and your telephone message to Dr. Samuel Waksal on December 27, 2001. Your
trade was publicly reported on June 6, 2002. During the next several days,
your attorneys assured Committee staff that your trade reflected a pre-existing
agreement and that you did not have any non-public material information from
ImClone. To clear up any confusion, your attorney submitted a letter, dated June
12, 2002, summarizing the circumstances of your trade (attached). Since the
submission of the June 12th letter, the Committee has learned of several
developments raising questions about the accuracy of statements made by your
legal representatives concerning the circumstances of your December 27, 2001,
trade of ImClone stock. These developments include the following: The
discrepancy between the reported recollections of you and your broker about
the timing of the pre-existing understanding on when to trade your remaining
ImClone shares; The
question of whether a pre-existing understanding actually existed or was
accurately described based on the reported discrepancies discovered by an
internal investigation of Merrill Lynch between the recollections of your
broker and your broker's assistant; The
question of your intentions for your trade of December 27th and your
communications with Merrill Lynch and to the office of Dr. Samuel Waksal on
December 27th based on December 27, 2001, e-mails from your broker to his
assistant, and the December 27, 2001, e-mail from your broker's assistant to
your e-mail address that could be accessible on a laptop computer that you
are known to bring with you on your travels. We acknowledge and appreciate
that you have voluntarily produced some records and information to the
Committee. However, these efforts and the pace of these efforts are not
sufficient for our mutual interests in resolving these issues expeditiously,
fairly, and comprehensively. To resolve these issues and to
assure the integrity of the Committee's process and investigation, Committee
staff had several conversations with your lawyers to discuss suitable
arrangements for a possible interview with you. In addition, Oversight and
Investigations Subcommittee Chairman James C. Greenwood and the Committee staff
had a lengthy meeting with your attorneys to listen to your concerns, to discuss
the Committee's concerns, and to negotiate possible arrangements for an
interview that could be held in a non-public setting. Finally, the Committee
staff had a lengthy follow-up meeting with your attorneys to continue these
discussions. Based on these discussions, we have been informed that on advice of
your counsel you will not agree to be interviewed by the Committee at this time
under any condition. We sincerely hope, and urge, you to reconsider your
position. Although your trade began as a
peripheral issue to the ImClone investigation, your trade and its circumstances
and statements made on your behalf are now serious ones. We want to assure
ourselves that you have not attempted to mislead this Committee with the intent
to obstruct an investigation. Given the gravity of the matter, we need to obtain
additional information expeditiously while we await your final response to our
request for an interview. Therefore, to resolve issues relating to the integrity
of the Committee's process, pursuant to Rules X and XI of the U.S. House of
Representatives, please provide the following by August 20, 2002: All
records of communications to and from your e-mail addresses to any
individual relating to ImClone Systems, Samuel Waksal, or your Merrill Lynch
securities account for the time period of December 1, 2001, to January 9,
2002. (All
records for telephone numbers held by you, or under your effective control,
for the time period of December 1, 2001, to January 9, 2002. All
records for telephone numbers for your business manager, Heidi DeLuca, held
by, or under the effective control of, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia for
the time period of December 1, 2001, to January 9, 2002. All
records in the possession or control of Heidi DeLuca relating to ImClone
Systems covering the time period of September 1, 2001, to January 9, 2002. All
records not covered by the above requests that you or your representatives
believe would corroborate the statements in the June 12, 2002, letter. We would like to inform you that Committee
Ranking Member John D. Dingell and Subcommittee Ranking Member Peter Deutsch
concur in this request. Thank you for your assistance. If you have any questions, please contact Alan Slobodin of the Majority Committee staff at (202) 225-2927.
Sincerely,
W.J. "Billy" Tauzin James D. Greenwood cc: The Honorable John D. Dingell,
Ranking Member
ATTACHMENT 1. The term "records" is to be construed in the broadest sense and shall mean any written or graphic material, however produced or reproduced, of any kind or description, consisting of the original and any non-identical copy (whether different from the original because of notes made on or attached to such copy or otherwise) and drafts and both sides thereof, whether printed or recorded electronically or magnetically or stored in any type of data bank, including, but not limited to, the following: correspondence, memoranda, records, summaries of personal conversations or interviews, minutes or records of meetings or conferences, opinions or reports of consultants, projections, statistical statements, drafts, contracts, agreements, purchase orders, invoices, confirmations, telegraphs, telexes, agendas, books, notes, pamphlets, periodicals, reports, studies, evaluations, opinions, logs, diaries, desk calendars, appointment books, tape recordings, video recordings, e-mails, voice mails, computer tapes, or other computer stored matter, magnetic tapes, microfilm, microfiche, punch cards, all other records kept by electronic, photographic, or mechanical means, charts, photographs, notebooks, drawings, plans, inter-office communications, intra-office and intra-departmental communications, transcripts, checks and canceled checks, bank statements, ledgers, books, records or statements of accounts, and papers and things similar to any of the foregoing, however denominated. 2. The terms "relating," "relate," or "regarding" as to any given subject means anything that constitutes, contains, embodies, identifies, deals with, or is in any manner whatsoever pertinent to that subject, including but not limited to records concerning the preparation of other records. A copy of Martha Stewart's June 12, 2002, response to an earlier request for documents by the Committee can be found here. (Adobe PDF Required) Related Documents Contact: Ken
Johnson The
Committee on Energy and Commerce |