1974 Nixon Impeachment Hearings; 1974-07-30; Reel 3 of 6

it's been as paul i know him to be a dj online and he goes on says the president often forty to confirm whether the particles are open regular state gets whether they should be on that side of the room are this third room displaying a weekly basis are not wear daily basis control interviewed him the scenario actually came to meet with nixon each level within the unit they were in the debate of whether we should have a uk label around think that he was deeply involved the entertainment business alicia get for what anna group small band big band black man white man jasper and whatever he was there after the nails and how they refer the time the waiters and usually put out the statement was not taken cared less than an hour the debate is heating the debate is heating it and it came out of a job of expired

this theory that that i think then german i can guess that the german my colleagues on the committee and i think perhaps this article if proof were here would be more important in many respects in article one we dealt with earlier they've probably as i see it is that whereas on article one you had a difficult matter of balancing proof and deciding where to wait lay on whether a case then maybe beyond a reasonable type of about i decided it had not been a quiet had that kind of a problem where here where you might have a serious case if you have the evidence you just don't really have a good

and i can't believe that we're going to impeach the president of the united states without the facts now it's a difficult to go over the same ground but let's just look what we were talking about first is the irs i was just talking about that a moment ago japanese fans in the old days they called dangerous thinking and it may be on the basis of the conversation september fifteenth you can convict somebody and added foreign affairs in this country i don't think it is like the politicians get around after election or before election talking about the opposition what they're gonna go dormant i don't think it's a very high class conversation but i did suggest that that conversation in itself is not an impeachable offense you've got showed something

done as a result of it and done by the president or by his instructions now they're here say statement about the wasp narrative that's all we have enemies list and being himself said that wasn't done the president's request and he agrees that he never followed up on it before he knows nobody ever followed up on it and the joint committee says that nobody was ever ordered it as a result my friend from iowa mr mays iwinski talks about over prime minister someone even specify anybody but one thing set i remember there was a legend that way it was a case of john wayne that was checked and do and nothing was found to exist at all are treated just like everybody else and that the joint committee that looked into this thing said in none of these cases was the taxpayer

improperly create because of political consideration now my friend from alabama with flowers says terrible thing devastate the white as you need any irs love well again maybe it's not the kind of a statement you'd like to hear their considering ali circumstances and whatnot but is that any economic plan that is what we're talking about here nobody nobody throws a body went and got any irs used it for any improper situation with a dominant idea it do you think of the line item i kind of other online yield on my retina one i think anyway i think that it really genuinely fortunate that we had their commissioner walter at the secretary of the average fell throughout the sight of that

that i said what many of the approach of the president though one of them is to the irs i completely agree with my friend and i as i said before they were appointees of the president and i think even though the great programming that kind of people as his main appointee if i am an imam and said anything in their lives before us in this record to indicate that they feel that the president ever miss bush and the president himself so far as i'm aware now going to the second matter the matter of survey we talk about that already do you have to consider the climate the leaks about cambodian bombing about troop withdrawal about saul i personally have a gentleman from indiana governor jerry uses the

chairmen wouldn't be an order at the time when the organs for a number two i move that all debate on this article for a minute one ounce of the time completely divided on the only members who wish to speak there were unanimous consent it could that emotion would be in orbit could i asked for unanimous consent that all debate on article you and that ten minutes after one hour catching there are many members in san diego reality has been the

plan this is the matter with that important so that the membership have an adequate amount of time i don't want to prolong this but i you know i don't think we should talk to they don't matter here is that therefore i read the report california requirements article two which i think yes there's an expression of our deep devotion to the constitution but above all to the first ten amendments known as the bill of rights article to drive our rededication to another reaffirmation of the bill of rights and the principle of

no officer of our government from the most loyal into the highest and violet with impunity of fundamental constitutional rights guaranteed every american citizen and seventeen eighty seven when the thirteen colonies were considering the ratification of the new constitution three states voted to ratify only on condition that the ratification container recommendation the village right yeah these men remembered well that they are their parents had planned at that from the kingdom of europe seeking individual freedom in the new world they just finished winning a war to ensure this independence and freedom they were not about to substitute a new federal government for the alternate without safeguards designed to protect the rights of individual human beings from the arbitrary encroachments of the new government so it was the first congress in seventy eighty nine after the bill of rights and the first ten amendments to the constitution jefferson letter to madison urge the adoption and said let me have

a bill of rights is what the people are entitled to against any government on her why do i review this history this late at night in the consideration of article two it is a forest because article two charges president nixon with intentional violations of the constitution szekely amendment one four five and six the first amendment guarantees freedom of speech and press indirect contravention of his the man that president nixon authorize are permitted illegal wiretapping and other surveillance of individuals including reporters and the use of this information so for political revival defamation the fourth amendment guarantee the rights of the people to be secure in their homes now they're against unreasonable searches and seizures indirect contravention of this undone the president to establish a special investigative unit within the white house to engage in searches and seizures without legal ones and a special white house unit committed a burglary in the state of california the fifth amendment guarantees to all equal

protection of the laws indirect contravention of this amendment president nixon and ever to use the internal revenue service for tax investigations in fact arachnids of political opponents the fifth and sixth amendment's guarantee a fair trial in all criminal prosecutions indirect contravention of these a mammoth president nixon and his subordinates the information unfavorable to a criminal defendant we've withheld information necessary for his defense and during the trial even offered a judge a high government official the proposition that the more profoundly subversive of the constitution and the notion that any public official the president or a policeman with us is a kind of inherent power to set the constitution aside whatever he thinks the public interest or to use the more popular term now given five easy currency and national security or us that notion is the essential part of every jeremy it is indeed the very definition of dictatorship or dictatorship is simply a

system under which one man is empowered to do whatever he deems needle for the whole community we look now beyond the walls of this committee room to every citizen rich or poor white or black brown or yellow on the most powerful to the humblest and say to all who will listen this article two is the only meaningful way to protect your constitutional rights your right to speak what if in your mind without fear of reprisal or other harassment and you're right to hear and read what others with at your right to be secure in your home in your office against government wiretapping for burglaries your right to equal treated under law without fear or favor from the government you're right if legal difficulties should mention to a fair trial you're right to be let alone to pursue life liberty and happiness free from unlawful incursions of all levels of government from the president california is

reeling it had been my intention of the family had my five minutes to discuss the historical meaning of a careful because i think that frankly this committee has not only that the house has the right to expect from us with respect to that was and its a probable this application to articles to allow reserve that a later time and probably will included in the report we go to the house i want to take this moment to just lay out the facts because the charges are easily made and now we have to take the time to shoot them down even though they are really without substance it's been said that president nixon attempted to support the process of justice by in somehow are improperly interfering with that now we know we're talking about the mad one incident and be the ultimate profit california let me tell you what happen it's relatively a short story everybody knows that the nomination that gray was in trouble and the president was going to nominate a new

director for the fbi the president sought the advice of his attorney general but it ought to be in the attorney general suggested today suggested that weren't a judge in california and he suggested and reviewers given that mr gurley who was acting as the presentation sought to inquire whether or not john edwards was it this is what he said to judge judge he said i've been asked by the president to call you i've been asked to discuss with you a federal appointed which is not judicial in character i do not know whether this is an appropriate time for us to have a conversation like this because i do not know what the present situation in your trial is given that judge burns said i see no reason why we couldn't talk right away thereafter they met in afghanistan committee and they walked out i'm a block away from the office complex in san clemente american said the judges' final i'm sensitive to the fact

that you're not prying important also i propose that we walked out for the book from this office if at any point the subject arises that you feel in any way and it unfairly by the case you just turn around and walk away from me and as i said before this is not something that needs to be with us right now to talk about it later and the judge said why let's proceed on that basis and they walk out on the block mr perrelli the director of the fbi he didn't report instantly to the judiciary committee as result of that conversation the president came up during the conversation and he said as follows that i'd not been following your case very closely it appears that it may take as long to get the case for it is that the media and the war in vietnam and thats always say oh that's always there these sweeping statement the president was trying to prejudice the trial aren't supported by that sort of record

and we ought to be more careful or it that allegation at least ladies and gentlemen there's no substance to it whatsoever wherever you go in and fifteen i might just say in this short time remaining and i think we ought to keep in mind i think over the surveillance again frommer's again is it suggested that there's a lot of broken because of the creation of the no one told me what the law won it suggested that because the unit has created and said to take legal action to do certain things that you are there by automatically responsible if it takes illegal action perfectly obvious that the president knew nothing about the break

in at the california because of his remarks when it came to his attention it's perfectly obvious he knew nothing about any and he said again in the record it was two way the longer and many others to the crime we've talked before about a speedy investigation that came under article one and i said then and i say now it's a debatable point whether he legitimately felt that there might be a cia involvement or legitimately feel it put the burden of pro is on the prosecution and finally what we need to remember if we're not using the president because of the general mario character why they're even more amoral or what our personal opinion i mean maybe we've got to find evidence or proof of a high crime or misdemeanor and if we try do a beacon for anything less than we're not doing our

duty they were violating our old the archive has expired the gentleman from wisconsin this as a day gentlemen from new jersey with sandman i don't seek recognition i like to another crime as chairman of the two gentlemen from a gentleman from pennsylvania mr albert chairman you words concerning herbert to perhaps not completely covered i think all members of the committee agree now that the president did authorize attacks the issue that i referred to a matter which president ron paul who senator fulbright chairman of

information which she says i ordered the use of the most effective investigative procedures possible including wiretaps i personally like the surveillance including marketing of certain specific individuals still question that the president has responsibility but it wasn't always that way that over year ago on forever seventy three the white house learned of the forthcoming time magazine story disclosing the existence of wiretaps and white house employees a newsman john dengler no the files from martin investigated the times story by contacting assistant fbi director mark volpe sullivan morning if confirmed <unk> martin gordon told me that he had the files for the right the press secretary ronald savored the night a story of time article published and forever twenty six cents that had the white house spokesman denied any one of the white house of water either approve any tattered white house employees a newsman and for every twenty eight the report for the president on the times story in his meeting with

someone about the wiretaps the president the white house was stonewalling polling on wiretaps during the president replied oh absolutely how interesting i am one of those the standard for impeachment that not involve criminality nevertheless i find in this paragraph in any evidence of criminality on the part of the president's men for a few of the nineteen sixty nine general alexander haig order the fbi and the highest authority not to maintain records of the wiretaps initiated under the president's nineteen sixty nine workers aged not an uncommon records this information is contained a memo from william sullivan assistant director of the fbi's general records keeping statutes and forty four us code sets standards for record keeping identifying what records must be maintained and provide rules for the orderly disposal these records section very well why specifically courts or government going to be

familiar with or five records cannot be honest to exceptionally specific man describing forty four of us additionally there are provisions a special provision for the fbi was made in california the us directing the fbi to preserve its records except for dissemination other law enforcement agencies authorized by law also a felony punishable by five nine or president to willfully and unlawfully conceal remove really buttery destroyer chad rousseau or contented juice are taking far away any record proceeding that a paperback and serve a lot of positive amid a public officer with anyone across the united states must be a song that they'd know it was illegal for them for the fbi not to maintain records of the wiretaps it must be a song of the only two men who could order and figures of directions to the fbi dr henry kissinger a national security council and the president i also knew that this was illegal july nineteen seventy one william solomon for robert martin head of the justice department's

internal security division at the refiners and lots of use wiretaps and he was afraid that j edgar hoover would use it as blackmail against the president in order to keep nixon for removing him from the top job at the fbi had three conversations with an attorney general john mitchell white house officials martin flew to santa monica discuss the existence of these records personally with the president and john ehrlichman these conversations these conversations the president ordered martin to get the fire some sort of an agreement to the white house this order is a violation of the record tv specials and forty four forty four walk into the files of our beloved in the oval office of the white house when he was interviewed about this episode by the fbi rod and was asked to give the bank in the united states more inclined i cannot answer that question must be a stone that he was protecting the president at this point because if we in fact it into a third party would be shooting that first meeting the inference that president krugman has testified that falling and everyone wanted a president ordered him to pick up the documents the oval office and he

kept in his own office until april thirtieth nineteen seventy three when they remove the place in the files with other presidential papers the effect of a presence or even this matter was again a violation of the burton sections of one for sure and i submit that this is perez is a very strong paragraph race important charge an impeachment of her down has expired recognize the gentlemen from illinois and the city of the future oh thank you thank you rebecca i certainly want to agree with the views expressed by phone my colleagues that the original intent of the special unit of the farmers was through a field of weeks but i also if i call attention the fact that in july nineteen seventy one just a few weeks after the

farmers were set up the break in of actors buildings office were recognized by the president that mr wittman and his personal notes made well in conference with the level of many have been either national security question involved at all and north africa cia and the fbi or resisted report by the head of the cia and of the fbi you know some years later as a matter of fact in april nineteen seventy three one hundred meters in charge of criminal investigation for the department justice was investigating the whole subject to watergate and the cover art brought to the president's attention as dr feelings office break in the president and the it's a conversation we had her before the committee

said that repairs and i'm all about that that's a national security is silly neither the real facts are that while the farmers may have started out as a legitimate valid organization it was that was a song that converted violent and bloody and ehrlichman and the old world and that's something quite different and something that the president obama was wrong and it seems to me that that's why this belongs in that part of art impeachment proceedings wife appropriately put an article two which relates to the question is to whether or not the president was in the taking care to say that privilege in law that's why i think it's appropriate there as well as some of the other aircraft that we have which questioned the president's obligation whether he was fulfilling his obligation and it's something we should send the level of representatives

through i've considered there in my opinion of clear and convincing evidence with respect to each of the affair with the role very supportive mr chairman mao mr wiggins has asked for about thirty seconds you think there was an airman i don't think the record we made i'm sure are feeling very different september nineteen seventy one there are prior to that there's not a word in the original july nineteen seventy one immediately prior knowledge you know murtha pretty fine like

who are you fifty second time without objection for the past few days in and i'm straining to call upon myself to repeated amazing isn't it amazing and i find amazing but the fine lawyers on this committee that somehow overlooked the concept of an attempted wrongful acts all we've heard about the irs is well what happened it was an accomplished if they'll write it might be something of the words within the transcripts of dr paul director couple questions of the staff known as you about the criminal penalties and fall under this

section i've sung with a crime for anyone any officer employee the united states too the confidentiality of the citizens of this country we're losing that under title at the president and his subordinates fall within the definition of them for you correct mistakes janet rice and cotton section seven to one view of the common core provides expressway that a transgender for information they'll be fine more than five thousand dollars from prison warden three years seventy two one three which makes mr parenti asked her employer mandates and at the conference on income tax returns and be fined one

thousand dollars more and one here in the united states dismissed for markets are discharged from a special office of destruction on the ice and not watch it and assumed for purposes of us that section would talk about those who attempt to use this information or improper purpose that the ap refers to a tenth of that and i am i correct it's not necessary to have a specific act carried out as such the actual accomplishment of the aca will be sufficient for example if the president were to direct or as one choir of john dean to obtain certain information would not the act itself with you can't come in the direction of the city as a matter of law interaction and what they haven't it's bright i'd also like to read some comments to california because i found those statements

also rather amazing because on the one hand we're in california pointed out that and we recommended that the fbi director in response to a question that i have been working with asked him whether or not he felt that the fbi for the repartee contracted while the setting of the judges on to which he replied no even though he made a personal recommendation he specifically indicated that members should not be contacted during the course of that in the course of the trial and the answer is quite clear to why not and i asked him why not the response to my question wouldn't that when islamist parties says some of us felt that what i have with it is a matter of law that there be a mistrial declared a disclosure i think that the act i find that

amazing once again mr olyphant say that they know what the present situation was in the old portmanteau this is the major case of the decade prior to our collaboration the watergate if you just go back a few years but he didn't you know with the way out of that time there was no impropriety in a conversation i had an appeal of the position of a judge one delicate and our entire system because he has been an absolute and scrupulously quality that neutrality is destroyed as a matter of law in my opinion i'm the chief executive who has been cordoned off i suggest to you that if the council for the defendant will defend himself in such a case up with the presiding judge or even if your job with his firm on the completion of the case that there will be held in contempt for being here at the finish i just simply want to conclude my remarks in this regard and i note that in california will say this might preclude any federal judge

never achieving a higher position but only called him with attention to the manor and with this was carried out was never any publication of that was never any nomination and what word leaked out that they were considering judge the matter of fact it was overtly care about the second meeting in a park near sacramento but its aims to me that of all the allegations are dealing with the internal revenue service the fbi investigation of daniel schorr the fabricated statement about what would happen not wheat harvested sure they can sell to the fbi or the white house things to be what we're really saying here is that all these activities raise the faint specter of an american how it will be in this instance i think that when the chief executive of the country starts to investigate private citizens who criticize policies or authorizes his supporters do such things and i think the arrival of the change that would bind up our constitutional freedoms in big words

suggest this rattled we should await know how do you expect to carry that in this trial is appropriate by reason to contact judge burns burns was a percussive and in that compact and he doesn't agree with you he didn't vote for this trial and even though it was his case but the contrary didn't think anything was improper about it online opinion that the job as chairman there could be no satisfaction in picking the president of the united states to say that they removed from the body politic in a president's actions threaten that for our system the checks and balances system and opening our constitution places this responsibility on the congress defeated strength of that democratic form of government quadrant these are at this time and in this election the constitution and a lot of the

united states have been so abusive so distorted so ignored and so converting professional huge that continued respect and support for our system of law and equality before that all demands that he do so abused this process be removed from orbit we must demonstrate that future generations of america that no man even be president and put himself above the law and if the chairman many people voting for richard nixon in the last election most republicans and a lot of democrats i did not but those who did had no way of knowing at the man i'm at least bit fraught with so a beauty no one who voted for richard nixon me be ashamed of that for no one could have known what was happening or what was to occur we'd been disappointed in him and i know that the vast majority of people who supported him do not condone the way the

abuse that all that the chairman who permit such but they go on and you can only have the effect of destroying the american people's faith in our constitutional form of government it about like that the gentleman from early are just the fish is right thank you mr chairman mr chairman that are in the way article one concern obstruction of justice are equal to as i understand it is based on abusive car or expressed in the negative a constitutional duty to take care that the laws are faithfully executed we heard from quite a lot of this course on the subject this morning and frankly i found it to be quite realistic now obviously they care the laws are faithfully

executed as a mandate for the president doesn't mean that he personally executes all the law what does it mean i can't help but believe that this constitutional requirement is playing an understandable now like to pose some suggestion that a question for you ms jenna see if we can work out in everyday language just what this constitution's possible upon which this article this means would you say that included in in this responsibility is a duty on the president not to mislead his subordinates not to put in motion a course of action or perhaps some blues line with such as to order something be done in a kid you don't care how it's to be done is for cars which is say that innovation there is

a duty incumbent on the president to police his lieutenants you say that they are operating within proper about i think that's unheard of applause we prefer to say that the president would have a duty to be alert for what is going on such a duty as president nixon manifest in his daily careful reading of a summary of the news that was brought in i think that's a record for us to pause and finally maybe not find it you can add more but this is a the fourth for that the president would have a duty to find out what is going on in those agencies of government set up by the congress of the people such as the arc of justice the fbi and the cia and furthermore a duty to disclose to them any information that

he has knowing their interest in the village squares corey where an inherent ability to take her first that you mention is like boys included in the president's obligation to learn what is happening with the police in the executive agencies and executive institutions you'll recall that thank you the president's carefully screened in the new song racy received others personally and every morning when he was in washington and there were delivered to and wanted assistance for many ann and key biscayne according to the test of law and that the road those negro told some of those news reports necessarily because of a current tv

series would necessarily bestowed by experts say have their would bring to him what was occurring day that they brought the country on our team things are going to do for the fall can you think of anything else in addition to before that would constitute this was going to take a lot of the clinics ninety one i think is the obligation on the part of the president and unexpected expectations of people respect that the president as you would police is comedian subordinates not only numbers but to direct directions that he had given to them but his chief of staff and others as to whether those directions have been carried out

so i thank my friend from europe really i simply want to comment very briefly first that i don't understand that piece of conversation to the fact that things are going to change which is what happened on september fifteenth is in any sense of the word in the camp and john being is concerned i think he be in serious danger about it yet but i don't think the president will accept only time of the gentleman from the architect of the gentleman from california must want his writing as chairman the past few days i think of an enormously important areas for the constitution of the united states whatever the ultimate result of these proceedings whether the president to be impeached or whether he'd be not true

prostitution has been strengthened security administration i commence in the process of bringing in to check an executive president who had abused his constitutionally limited powers to an extraordinary degree article two of these proposed articles of impeachment is in my view the heart of this process by passage in adoption of this article we not only tell this president we will no longer tolerate his personal access is a problem but indeed we tell any future president of the constitution as a limiting doctrine and that it particularly muslim or color or it has concentrated most heavily in the executive branch the president said many presidents and too few members of congress fear have understood this lesson i personally believe that few presidents have misunderstood it as closely as this president but in fact all presidents have sought

to grasp and accumulate power at the expense of the other institutions of government i suppose it was inevitable that the time will come when his constant accumulation of power would have to be checked and curve and done so in a matter of the men are clearly understood not only by the president in an office at that particular moment in history led by president yet to come that duty force first on those that we have begun to draw the line we have begun the long overdue and the painful process of curbing the excesses of power in the executive branch will forward the process with german significantly both up in article two tonight at the gentleman ran the island the main issue banking chairman of first i want to agree with the gentleman from maine mr cohen that said the approach to getting burned about possible

and wine and as the new head of the fbi was certainly highly improper and then discussed with any judge in the progress of a trial particularly the trial of major importance is this is this possible promotion know if it was a promotion just seems to me so obviously inappropriate that i am surprised and disappointed that that this was done by hand ok representative of the president conversation which the president himself or participated very briefly not dealing with the actual subject of the when i'm also disappointed that the urn would entertain such an approach than any victory he did not

of course that declare a mistrial on that ground the the third in this trial when the governor and that disclosed that there have been this invasion of actor feelings writes why the brakemen and this information was a furnished are voluntarily albeit reluctantly by the president after it became known to him upon the advice of counsel can't believe the assistant attorney general elliot and the solicitor general being grateful that although it was not technically required that they felt that it was better under all circumstances to reveal less and it was reported in a mistrial declared right now i just want to emphasize in the time remaining to me that there

is absolutely no question and the evidence in these cases aside from some of the argument that there were serious national security problems in connection with these leaks with the president right now is a lot of expense charity in the country was the german to stop these leaks affected the war in viet nam were they affected our troops they affected i attempt to negotiate the end of the war in viet nam they effectiveness all talked they infected while may affect the various the negotiations in relationships are with the russians and to emphasize that this was a legitimate concern of the present i just want to read from a couple of quotations

from this and you're referring to these leaks in avia these appeared in the presidential presentation before that twenty three b and i quote that bissinger referring to the damaging nature of these various leaks and disclosure upon our country's interests and i quote henry kissinger each of these disclosures one of the most extreme gravity as presentations of the government's thinking on these key issues they provided the soviet union with extensive insight as to our approach to the salt negotiations and severely compromised our assessments of the soviet union's missile testing and our apparent inability to accurately assess their exact capabilities disclosure of the assessment of the soviets first strike capability would prove a useful signal to the soviet union as to the efficacy of our

intelligence says to you it also prematurely reveal intelligence basis on which we were developing our position for the impending strategic arms talks and with regard to the negotiations on long island page at eighty six dr kissinger stated and i quote the consequences of this disclosure attributed to well placed informants in terms of compromising negotiating tactics prejudicing the government's interest and complicating our relations with japan were obvious and clearly preempted any opportunity we might've had for gaining a more favorable outcome there in our negotiations with the japanese and flow our president of the united states had a duty to act and he did that he may not have done the most effective thing where labor that's plumbers unit girl went astray they became lawbreakers they were caught in a are measurable crime out there in california

but there's absolutely no evidence that the president knew anything about the planning of that energy that i respectfully subdued they're at the president did try his according to his best judgment but to protect the national security thought this country and in fact it didn't do it perfectly and i'm not at an experienced group in there and certainly by the job and we're great discredit to our country in every respect that does not mean that he was guilty of a high crime four misdemeanor for which he should be impeached and that is the only basis seems to me under the constitution under which we can find him impeached oh yeah japanese behind

i'll add expire and the gentleman new jersey you know with sandman i don't propose to take up to five minutes and i hope that we can wind whistling up as quickly as possible and gracefully get off and nothing that i can do and fuel is going to change the outcome of the vote but i would like to use these closing moments of the long and what some people refer to as a historic thing the capsule where we stand and my judgment and what i think we should be thinking about at the outset i know click on the most naive person in the world but i like to believe that every man has ever been president of the united states having a good man and you have a great man our great country who have never voted for him to be the leader of this may be a surprise to some and a

home but the president i was extremely fond of it i had the good fortune to know everybody who was not a republican lyndon johnson and i thought it was a horrible fighting during the bobby baker talks that some people thought well maybe we are friday and pj all he ever on i hope we never thought that now anybody who feels this way i can affect the country feels way they were likable either president is a pretty good night and to do allies who approved them otherwise they would take a tremendous amount of proof of that initiative from memphis you can't move that move and this is important the whole world is watching have received and what we do we bother to write because the affect those very limited precedent for a thousand

years that's the importance of the question because of this thirty may lie i try to think of some other problems involving al gore breaking and whatnot i think maybe we're a little bit makes you sit down for a moment and review where we are i was on a program one time i walked in the room a very famous man a good democrat senator must be a pretty good hand i'm sure no one in the audience in may and then the eyes and there must be by about three or four minutes walk in the annual or won't believe it the stadium is your life here's a man who countless good secret documents and against the law the nation even if i thought

that i can understand why this fall i came in there like a hero but yes this is a strange thing happened or another result of that a mistrial was declared in that case and a man who is surely guilty of killing convey was never declared guilty never been alive and instead when i'll talk about impeaching him president of the united states i think they are thinking of a little fuzzy year and maybe we have a certain look over that once we can make sure we going to write that there's more popular to a giveaway secret documents in this to protect the security of our great nation i don't think so i like to believe in the absence of extremely heavy proof that what the chief executive at it for a good purpose so

why have the strong feelings in the direction that i have is why martin well i have an a for state i'll take my obligation here any more likely than any other person and i believe that what we're going to hear we're acting as judy she married in a sense we're judging whether or not the president of the united states should be replaced the way judging the rights that he has an individual as well as a presence that is not in line with what at least i learned the twenty years i went to school but he adds any less rights than any other american and olympian ever made me believe that due process though as the law of the land and it's always gonna be the laws for these reasons i think we have to not make him our friends against the president of the united states have anything we have to make an innocent an inference but when he did he did in the best interest of the country

this is what i rather believe that you know it's not going to be a popular position and i think i know that i'm convinced is the right one that we focus solely on top of that the gentleman from a message here is it was done the law he knew who have been developed into the property that unless the president really are individually authorize the activities that fall in on a cold one and two i'm not going to

now on a flock of the federal paper in portland pipe and the statement made by jane matter alma mater our constitution they win on this i think it absolutely nothing that the president's your head of a law already moving from lot it will make him in a peculiar man responsible for their conduct and every couple of them to replicate with impunity crime to misdemeanors against the united states he will be felt at

one point and he goes on to say are again and like from falcon promote condom so i have to check their act that we feel like was the fabric to improve and not everyone under thirty on the constitutionality of that i have no doubt about the quirky news dan rather the nixon they recognize the perfect think it does go public debate oh i've been described by jews that believed the myth of what a lot of view as of the local of the area and a third film at all the things you

know all these operations that were being directed white fluffy them while members of the fictional white believe it did you know the variant seventeen eighty nine when the constitution was about benjamin franklin was that well at what kind of government and you've given and have the right wind replied a republic madame if you can keep it i believe that we will keep our republic and that the profits that we are engaged in during the proceedings will

recognize that the gentleman from the holy spirit i'd like to return to a thought which weinstein ranking minority member offered to us this morning reminded us that a few years ago the country was being torn apart by groups of people are growing bombings college this is an organizing draft boards in our otc facilities and destroying the work of scholars and engaging and all sorts of lawless activity because they disagree with the vietnam war they disagree with the draft they disagree with that with the positions of the nixon administration and they thought that because their cause was just they could commit the crimes they

felt they were above the law most of them have long hair and beards and dressed as nonconformist and desecrated the fly inside the white house at the same time there was another group of men who wore well tailored business suits close cropped hair no beards and were flying things i know how they disagree with all of these other people a thought that the cause was just they believe that the vietnam war was justified they support this administration but they felt that because their cause was just they too were above the law and for several months we've had a chronicle of all the legalities and crimes that they committed under that assumption obviously both of those groups of people were wrong both

should be held accountable for the violations of law but what we are debating today is whether or not the president of the united states lived up to his constitutional responsibility to faithfully execute the laws of the duties of his office and we talked a lot about this all day and i'd like to read for you verbatim the oath that every president united states is rick why did take an article to the constitution the president must stay elsewhere i do solemnly swear that i will faithfully execute the office of the president of the united states and will to the best of my ability preserve protect and defend the constitution of the united states but we've been debating today is whether or not six hundred years ago the british house of commons and peach the euro suffered for high

crimes and misdemeanors that's the first reference and all of history to this term which is the gut become so familiar if not fully comprehensible to all of us on this committee there are rulings against which the high rise and broad some form of corruption of office or misuse of office offenses which included some great injury on the state now based as it was on hundreds of years of british press of our founding fathers who established this country use the same term high crimes and misdemeanors clearly intending not as a catchall phrase which have threatened violence and confound lawyers and scholars and members of judiciary committees but as a broad widely recognized standard of impeachable and the abuse of power by those in high office than

constituted what was essentially the first impeachable offense and one is still today the touchstone of our debate the abuse of power holds greater danger for the republicans and does a single criminal act if a much more serious offense and a far more serious charge of the one that this committee is already a crew how has the president faithfully execute the laws title eighteen section forty nine states voters well we're having knowledge of the actual commission of a felony the guys we'll walk for the united states concealed and is not as soon as possible to make no saying that some judge or other person in civil military authority and the united states shall be fine not more than five hundred dollars or imprisoned not more than three years of oil that's under miss prison for felony i submit that our record is replete with a

whole litany of repeated offenses of this particular statute and the gelatin from maryland has expired gentleman from alabama with flour they were really worth much interest in my beer for many of my dear friend from new jersey and i find that i agree with almost everything he said except the way put some of the plane together and i can't quite that way for myself and i do not differ with him the wii he has the right to look at the way he does and i respect him and he knows it will be a video of something else by the letters we can actually but on the chairman apply to this article of impeachment perhaps more important than article warren and some others and lastly an

article one could even perhaps be included of the sub paragraph or so getting on of historical truth there's something here in this article about all feel that strongly about it i do other to look over all are believe it to be a strong theory has laid out by this article truth eternal vigilance is the price of freedom and this president failed to assert that affirmative duty to take care that the laws be playful executed if he had failed to resist even the transgressions of the law before his eyes and ears if we have violated the so called sensitive fragrances of our government for not really being as these are sensitive items is a vote necessary and useful but also precarious with a sly look at and what the sewing floor and

regret that was my mom started with chairman and i must also support that they've recognized the gentleman from virginia mr barber certainly recognize that the gentleman from south carolina mr mann you know we we know jonathan mann and refrigerated a novel refer turn to follow was talking about bill burton who joins and i joined with most do in failing that accept certain mistakes of deliberation not been at the place at the time but the was evidence of

our system because our system without a refundable a little wham the history of america is the history of the protection of the rights of the individual service look in every decision about supreme court and whether we like it i'm not a live free a rapist on murder they are interpreting the constitution of the united states and it's a lot to project that individual from the power of his governor you've heard a lot about us at the moment with that phrase the rule of law and in this article do we find this language in this regard the rule of law

he knows one man in the us government then our definition of even mention of a man for me little like dylan john walters practiced law upstairs above moderates in the two story building where he and i practiced law like in the middle sixties when i came to congress and let him in south carolina he wasn't far behind me and he came to washington to serve in the department of justice and has commissioned her in the senate michael perspective the rule you know americans of course they know that by his old he is

supposed to preserve protect and defend the constitution to enforce the bill of rights which is they're in europe for example and it was true with a lot of individual liberty and we were doing pull the trigger once there's no way that you can bring yourself in the position that we are with the knowledge of the facts that we have i wish you good as your representatives week

determining the truth and although we lay something on the table during his bath for four days and then having said that in these three four days i had people ask questions about what the evidence was i've been wondering if maybe they were here with me because it's all that evidence that each of us is making our decision and as we say the way to escape that decision we can't escape that still small and so as thomas painter of those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom was like man on the goal of the people supporting and in this situation as we look at how the office of the presidency

has been served by an individual it is we will certainly was bureaucracy if there be no accountability for your freedom there may be no one has been and gentlemen there's brian mississippi you're not over i you

know the american people and salute the president he's being attacked and abused by some of the forces in this country on the left wing press about the democrats and i've been through this and that it matters not to me his party or his position is subject to the rule of all the justice and an ma rolling thunder national review president before i appreciate that you're sure that you and i think the note about back i think you know that this is not a matter of partisanship with the uber is a very serious matter were setting a precedent for the future whether or not the president because of song acts of his aides

even mistakes are parts of several cases will present be impeached now several people appear tonight referred to a gentleman by the name of butterfield came in and testified i like to refer to solve this testimony and one area just about everything i'm saying to you it's really it's judgment yes i don't claim to be the precise knowledge and one i have been questions about his possession sitting right there in the middle the white house right next to the oval office i've interviewed your situation your location there was definitely a core and the fact that you spend the rest of what was going on to do you have any knowledge of the watergate coverage though he didn't know he was sitting there right next to what was going on right next breath i knew about the poem he did not and what we've got here are quick to as a catchall accusation it

lumps together five separate charges with acrylic connecting length only certain common phrases purpose in my opinion is put together several partial cases where the whole the results would be one whole case reading these different charges together in one article represents a clear attempt to accumulate your people and would be completely improper and any theory of criminal proceedings and so they're have one of article two residents accused of trying to improperly used irs is a pair of threes accuse the watergate cover up and other unlawful activity is with what's up quickly specifies there's no real connection between them is clear though why can't all cruel have been about why this approach is being used the congress who believe that the presence of the move from office for interfering with fema and his vote with full even though he does not believe for example that the president any way approved the right cannon also says about the building building

another congressman may vote for article the entire article because he fired two one paragraph any man i've got to verify and criminal justice says words of the pacific and prejudicial joyner that this would come into play we don't have it here i think that we do have parts of several cases maybe you get up to three fourths of a cave or a whatever but you put together and you get a package of the quote the words of seneca often and the impeachment trial against judge writer in nineteen thirty six six legal balls cannot become a unit of legal accountability again i think we must consider the overall impact of what we're doing here is going out on our country four years ago lea a gentleman from maryland mr simons rick

i'm committee chairman it's imperative that every american appreciate the abuses of the hour discussed here today was that we interviewed in the course of the consideration of this article placed in jeopardy are free society and endangered your liberties and your constitution wants a night in the chorus of that effort there was also an effort to twists proper functions of government agencies so that rather than such agency those institutions being your service setting you there was a great danger so they would become your friend for a moment

if you will what it means if the agencies of government are not administer in an evenhanded manner if people elected to public office rather than considering a very public problem believe that they are entitled to use the power of god i'm not to serve the people but to maintain themselves and personal power it's extraordinary to a circus has been inserted on occasion during the course of our discussions that because they had things in the end did not happen those who sought to make those things happen or not be held responsible stop and think for more those bed things that not happened not because of those that are not seek to make them but because dedicated and committed people in various places and government refused to be bent and twisted to improper

purpose is the commissioner's of internal revenue we're not allowing me and neither agency to be used in a discriminatory fashion against the american people the fbi director would not accede to the houston plan which for a brief period was approved by the president of the united states which provided for covert male cultures which provided for surreptitious century which provided for electronic surveillance all of which carrier gruver of the senate two analysts who are in the area went to the president insisted that this plan not be implemented what happened then they went outside of the agency go on able to ban the agency's for

the purpose they decided to go outside of government and develop their own without that is what the plumbers well that is what the form of it was not a legitimate reconstituted more enforcement agency you as an irregular at heart who was published to carry out certain activities and how was it paid for in part with a work too money raised privately we spoke earlier about how a private person was contacted to bring money to the white house to be furnished of the plumbers in order for them to carry out the break in a doctor's office and that money was returned to the private person who provided that in the following year mr colson called up the attorney for one of the milk producer

and i asked him to have the cooperative make a contribution to a political committee called of all when people were united for good government and that five thousand dollar contribution was made by the noble operative that political committee that chat with cash the man who provided the original money in order to carry out a break and went to the political committee and recovered five thousand dollars now stop and think that you have an irregular group not part of an established law enforcement agency and its activities are being funded money race i think of the implications for all americans mr chairman i submit

we came perilously close to losing our basic freedoms and it is for that reason that we must act affirmatively here tonight this is a long step forward in restoring the health of our constitutional system we do it mr chairman or so into the constitution we do it with a strong sense of responsibility and a powerful believe in america and in the decency and the honesty of her people the gentleman has expired recognize the gentleman from wisconsin wrote my concern over it the expanded use of the wiretaps and the abuse of use of the irs and for developers entering the day and therefore you know the job more harmful jerome thank you for really meaningful

we're not always on the avalanche of material i frankly would have a hard time making a judgment on this article after hearing all these remarks of them made by our colleagues this probably attribute the fact that i believe in the history of the congress or hasn't that a committee has studied so intensely for such a long period of time and given such attention i don't believe we've ever had a committee in the congress says have better attendance even behind closed doors the committee session and allied commander who is german for the attention of children the directions you give and certainly there are disagreements i think by now have one thing on which we can all agree are that is there are many areas in this agreement and our

interpretation we wait do the president of that light we can do that and we choose to view him in a good light is apple evidence that refers to do that we've also learned this afternoon that a majority on this committee which is the holy president impeachable or actions of subordinates and a paragraph some paragraph one and two even though he had no knowledge of the actions of said subordinates mr chairman and members of his canadian border in this bothers me tremendously we were wondering on september fifteenth there

was no conversation between ge and being in the present at which time our founding as testified there was an extensive discussion about the irs audits and direct reference to the refusal of the us senate it's big not only for now but for the future what we do there will be written down as a precedent for the use in the future and i'm not particularly concerned about the president of the present occupant of the white house and that was deeply concerned about the office of president of the united states and what our office will be not ten years from now or twenty years from now but

generations become highly revered office it's the most respected officer of the world it was the most horrible nobody can deny the fact that every nation on the face of the civil rights of the oval office of the president of the united states and what we're saying here is that we can impeach a president our actions of his subordinates without his knowledge what can that do for the opera for the president in the future you can't impeach their actions of a subordinate without his knowledge nevertheless camino are approximate thirty nine hundred employees at the executive office of the president are too many and six hundred thousand employees of the federal government

not counting the medicare that somebody's down the line years hence target our actions here you have to be held accountable for any and all of these actions even though he had no knowledge of them because they're under its jurisdiction under his administration and technically they are i think that we must receive what i was arguing that we weaken that we weakened that office that we are also here and i'm a direct my attention of the few moments that we have to another area that concerns me because we've touched upon it so lightly in fact i heard somebody say i'm curious i'm just something about the bubba ville and i have referenced the national security

national security or talking about work that thing that lives in the security of two hundred and twenty million americans i happen to be one of the vibe and the congress the united states to have support a strong national defense strong national defense we can't be second we've got to be strong and we talking about president united states who is concerned about leaked right after he took office now let's take a look well these leaks coming from recovering from somebody the british crime writer some

nonsense that ad agency in the government we know better than that there were coming from no other place in the nation fb security council's been but on the national security council members president of the united states secretary of the fact that secretary of state and the director of the central intelligence agency along with the secretary us treasury and the attorney general by designation of the president and i don't talk about rules and ball game and they discuss the night i was the board of the fence of this country you're an event might affect our challenge their parents as what they do

these leaks are concerned the president of the united states are coming directly out of that national security council however that many of our colleagues here today have i don't want to duplicate and we're very scared but i'm a torn out that about every time the national security council unlike a decision a couple of days later and i hate to mention newspaper that i am less than they are trying to publish it one evening star wouldn't there's concern you it concerned it concerning that concern but rather than give it as one on april six

and they are kind of france a front page article in the painting us consideration of unilateral withdrawal doom sixty nine shortly after decision agreed to begin initial withdrawal of troops the new york times an evening star reported this decision and again you have made public following the meeting following a meeting with the south vietnamese for the two leitz damaging back to kissinger diplomatic effort and the war without the burmese government bigger publicly publicly our current willingness to consider unilateral about unilateral withdrawal out first discussing the matter with president too whether that's through our credit over a very gently said that occur regardless of negotiation with undisguised also internal use of our government of their strategic and force posture study was made a difference program should be adopted

rallied to our countries get this the current conventional and no clear label that i just that imploded by fossils pretty good option on campus on a fancy capability a heavy reliance on anti ballistic missile system cost the va or disgust not withstanding the obvious need for secrecy of the study the may first nineteen sixty nine edition of the new york times reporter duff i repeat after the understudy and even gave the cost estimates it fb