1973 Watergate Hearings; 1973-07-13; Part 6 of 6

as bell from washington and white continues its coverage of hearings by the senate select committee on presidential campaign activities it again correspondent robert macneil as they go back to the committee is senator worker asking the questions vivian was born he was first that's what i said and he

said the words that you would not be interested in help raise money connection with these activities which in the mid seventies opening time i did not say that means that money for soccer what i can't estimate the activities fit for the payment the payment of that support the provision of people that were involved and what he didn't say that i said that is with thousands of police did this became even as the more specifically mentions support of the people about what you get mr mitchell well this was a deception ms lynn yeah

that's a little bit mr richard moore some time for new york to participate to try to raise some funds legal defense of the defendants yesterday was seeking whether you would be interested in raising funds for the legal defense of the defendants mr mitchell that's correct that that was not a crime basis of the discussion like look that strikes me that the words of what i was

but he said this was the subject of estimates it was but that a lot of the roads now i mean asking you i'm not believing or disbelieve mr mitchell version i'm asking you to tell me whether or not mr mitchell's new cds of testimony that's correct he's visiting a sense of what the people were like if you have a disability he talked about raising funds that this is what you were talking about you remember that

for a peak but there was no statement as the mitchell and i haven't made any reference to raising money for defense review comment on set off because he's brothers is going to pass but the pain satellite

data today that's because the death we're now the subject again was speaking whether you would be interested in raising the legal offense offense or were raising defense of defense of the day what is that with that investment we were talking about the subject matter was in his mind based on one set mix of the once said that it i get it

just a few months ago it was well i was furious what is that it's correct that and i'm trying to give you an opportunity to respond to the testimony of another witness but certainly i don't think what you realize that once said that it believes the activity you know real

testimony in this dimension in the days when you want to hear it was for a defense fund rather than fork very reluctant it was then suggest that that is what interpretation he plays is not to suggest that i've set it out when we have this evidence but this role as the victims of the invasion of the world's people and when i said to him and i used to call her but because of that evan these testimonies private businesses to raise money as it happens over the thirteen mike welcome

well what's your understanding as you left the constant and then went to mr mitchell as to what the basis for her request for money was just to beef up the i get a real president i did you know what caused the specific request asks for money or money of mr mitchell not really is an intelligent human being you that there's some basis for the worst of it yet this question before it has been made and this was the area of the second day that had nothing to do with

me and the other live in the subject matter that video and my husband that's right you have to raise money as opposed to raise money that's all i was saying was i don't think i think i'm going to answer this will be the need to be visible body there was plenty of money

right now he thought what we say in effect today that point was about the pieces of things i would say that we would not be because they were just about the words of michael evans updated laws there has been are you nineteen seventies suddenly two men are an animal cost of meetings in february just one question you make as they continued in your state you say i had a somewhat blunt

replies that has that very much i'm beaten arrested and as you know i may be a star witness what's what oh i think so oh yeah he was asked again well i think that the new investigation into the activities of a campaign to the record will evolve chemical weapons and usa not to show it fifteen out but were living in then that comes a new series of meetings and with the

jumping in march and as i got a little difficult to ascertain career fair statement revelation is made i mean immediately preceding days before march nineteen then later on in the games they've also mentioned that earlier activism and i didn't have this macabre that you gave to me because i got to record him in these days in march weekends campaign activity

that was best not made public either the photo but after the election of nineteen seventy two you know it started back in june with only grass mornings of the great running rather consistently through up until the nineteenth and twentieth of march and mind you my comedy is not that it is a watergate as the campaign activity which was either before the election but you ever running out this financing in june of nineteen seventy two mr jt in mediation

where's the security that i wanted to make public the republicans to shape public debate public for the opposition would have done would have been right and better about this is one i think that that in terms of the perspective of well yes i'm sorry that i didn't wish you think do you think that you have any better position than challenging in getting to john dean the advice that he should go to the president and tell the president anything well obviously that he had i had one that was a state concept and his statement about being blackmailed about them

it is i know i used to deliver the president it as i say was receptive i think it is true that you know that this is where we should add but i couldn't do you see this debate well yes oh yeah

that's it i can't take you as knowledge try that in the newspapers but this area applause right now

one event it was this is weekend edition thank you with the disease

i have the minimum wage is the fact that the men who do have this knowledge to go to the president and invited over the first things that the president didn't know which helped change that the whole situation and the president position and certainly no question what you do yes sir as male

that's right that's right nineteen ninety three what about you they've always all that well yes but you agree with me that indicated some numbers in the white house that were getting on what these charges were

you've made it yeah listen that's right and while receiving information from the news media about it in the campaign i think that you will

have to thank you what we've heard from two witnesses this week who were close to the president both knew more about the watergate situation and mr nickson says he did and both for different reasons chose not to share their information with the president john mitchell kept silent because you hear the president would discipline those involved and thereby jeopardize the entire campaign now richard moore says he didn't raise the question of the president because he didn't have hard facts only rumours both men now admit in retrospect the white house might have fared better and

they go into the president early and set the facts before and perhaps there are lessons to be learned from the experience in his questioning senator ervin's and again to point out how the nixon white house in studiously to ignore every allegation what appeared in the press making an exception only to assure rebuttal without over investigating charter buses going to wait a little more two fifty nine year old man who worked for richard nixon both those filings that as employees for many many years and the question of course is what was the total impact of this weekend there are these demands testimony with david epstein adjunct professor at georgetown university law center here in washington and stephen has already richard nixon now senior fellow brookings institution what's today in the week with us steinem analyze the week in terms of the total impact of well what it did not do in terms of our knowledge of water both met show and more tried to show that the president did not know of the watergate break in or its cover up the jaw

by claiming that he did not tell the president more by claiming that the president had told him that he did not know that were believed to be whether one believes these two witnesses are not no additional information that was raised this week to further complicate the president in terms of presidential awareness of the facts have been quashed two tracks to the questioning senator baker was to know what did the president know senator levin wants to know what should the president have no point of view of the baker track what did the president know i think this was a good week for the president yes i think there is on the question of the president not taking steps as with groucho

others the case has been a somewhat stronger and the question will still remain why didn't the president throughout this period from june of nineteen seventy two and the look seventy three according to the testimonies mr nickson why didn't he ask a mr mitchell and i think the case is called the farcical believe was not strengthened against the president the case for his magazine's still very very much a year ago and they all agree rape last eight months or so i would say that what the purpose of this is these hearings are to attract new legislation in fact the matter is what we're really pursuing is the president's knowledge culpability etc isn't the committee actually out walkin itself i don't know like how they ever really going to resolve the question we continue to have witnesses like mitchell or more compared to being in magruder and all the many many things or there's no way to resolve them well as an

articulate so the trial are hearing prison sentence and piecemeal fashion and as the league's advantage the pieces fit together much mr morris testimony and <unk> assessment also fit together with parts of yesterday's testimony reporters that contradicted with jimmy dean's testimony as the witnesses that continue i think that more and more the facts will start piecing together and then of course you finally have to make certain resolutions of credibility of the witnesses now be based on the normal thing of eight witnesses internal stories internally consistent our only plausible of acceptable well i tend to think that with halderman ehrlichman coming up as the big guns and i got to be very many people are going to step up and support john dean's accusations with the possible exception of florida straw next week we don't know so i would suspect based on the first phase of these hearings that will likely to conclude more with the words of

ts eliot that is not with a bang but a whimper after conducting this week's more than twenty three hours of hearing senator and chocolate and that's peter carey and other network correspondents he was ousted here and some of the other attorneys have been too rough in their questioning of richard moore well i practiced know the sense that since the nakedness is understandable in second with lots of inaction and the fact that have been wrestling with some big as millions around the park making wave of laughter that's something that will be questioning game changer will change that in light of the president's own let's talk

about the question of the things courtney rounded up information was with presidents that they did so well when he was disappointed in the investigation but listen now and as you know them sen lieberman and one he's ever since may seventeenth watergate and i'm sure an aunt who actually

broken the financial says you didn't thank you yes and no that commission on occasion but you have to have this dimensional so old that flight innovation and the past when the estimate of the size to be reckoned with and on the concept of people and we have the evidence indicates that it knew that confirm that conversation let him in the head out of the persian gulf

of television that kind of the levees most of the talk in the analysis concerning is there is understandably center around the witnesses as john mitchell believable and like richard moore and so occasionally possibly a week sam like tonight it might be worth stopping one up to take a look at this committee itself the seven senators are these people doing legally politically cause medically charismatic lee in an la based on the comments we received from many of you is clear that personal favorites in heroes villains and dances are been selected by all who regularly watch these proceedings senators are women baker getting most of the attention baker the meticulous naturalist as being talent already is our next republican president but in the country constitutional us is being celebrated as a national hero some people are even more and t shirts with his picture brothers governors don't really know the real they say she's functioning as an unfair prosecutor president nixon for these

people the man as edward kennedy a florida republican who's quite openly now functioning as the president's main defender so the whiter seem to rouse the most visceral reaction people either lobbying or it and will and i have become a favor to some because of his great thoughts ms stern manner and his work on gravity of times shelters town liege in mongolia for whatever reason seem to end up at the bottom of everybody driving less well before watergate baker was justice was just senator dirksen some all of them was just one of those charming old southern senators who voted against civil rights legislation and on down the line now live all become a very important part of our daily lives than white players on the soap opera the very thing these theories replace in the daytime we'll be back monday night or robert macneil and peter kay i'm jim lehrer thank you and goodnight from washington you've been watching gavel to gavel videotape coverage of hearings but the senate select committee on presidential campaign

activities as coverage is made possible by grants for special events coverage from the corporation for public broadcasting and the ford foundation and has been a production of unpack and a vision of a greater washington educational telecommunications association you are and then named fb