1973 Watergate Hearings; 1973-06-28; Part 4 of 4

it's been and i'd like to read from this committee and which meets he stays there is no question whatever but some men despite their innocence will be rolling boil even though i'm sure the summit intended nothing of this kind were commissioned this investigation with the chairman of the american people should know yesterday makes statements of facts concerning john lynch which in effect as soon as he took part in a conspiracy to break in and her research partner

in obstructing justice i am well for a convention in germany and this was the german in the documents sent by the white house to this committee and on the line but anything that the committee votes are important and no not only in the case and that means it was but also in the case of the financial means to come before is now something i didn't mean to jump ahead and have you any comment to make relevant to this memorandum so i don't think that you're

yesterday and i said wait until my testimony that i refused to engage in descriptions of millions of others german there've been illegal unconstitutional and those in a general category of growth i'd like to go ahead and i repeat now is to exactly what aq having testified you haven't actually haven't proven that were admitted lawyer acts committed

various members of the executive branch of the conspiracy to obstruct justice conspiracy to intercept wire all communications subordination perjury conspiracy to obstruct a criminal investigation conspiracy to destroy evidence ms rozema falling filing a false sworn statements perjury breaking and entering burglary an interception of wire an oral communication obstruction of a criminal investigation and that interference have administration of internal revenue was attempted on overviews of internal revenue information these are illegal matters that have been accomplished for the executive branch of this curve

after those letters that are unconstitutional attempts to infringe upon people's first amendment rights of free speech in the press the enemy lives which we've seen first amendment rights to peaceable assembly fourth amendment rights to be secure in our houses the papers of that and fourteenth amendment rights now writes a fair trial like due process of law that's what we've heard has been done in the way of unconstitutional acts by the executive branch and then we get into the area we get into the year of the gross i think it's very important that we have more than just an exhibit before its exhibits that were part of the year emily papers submitted

one of having his committee yesterday about it go ahead and read they're just very short questions and that women from some of those women this i would say that was an area of growth my manager john came from charles colson i received a well informed get their income taxed discrepancies involving return j givens a vice president of the teamsters union st louis very very good givens you should know is a lot of anti immigrant and i ardently anti nixon years when free labor leaders were recently invited to handle please see if this one can be started out once and if there isn't informers three latino there's a good girl at which you can be done so that they're dealing with our political enemies

was an eminem invited to confess i have to do some research about that because it was a movie of farming you know and we got a deal on the table here and that means everybody can understand rebuke paragraph which i find to be absolutely amazing to live in the white house united states after reviewing the expertise in dealing with everything is not a number of persons possessed of expertise in the field i think you know that we do not need an elaborate mechanism or rather we need a good project coordinator and full support for the project and tweak the system would work as far project coordinator should then the germans wondering where's the system is project coordinator should then determine what sorts of feelings these

individuals have with the federal government going and how we can best work but if the ag credibility federal contracts litigation prosecution that move along to that portion of the internal revenue service memo that nonsense well this must be made you know the values the internal revenue service one of the major know the sweet political actions investigations on behalf of the administration reaffirmed requirement and responsibility on his part as a memorandum we've been unable to obtain information in the possession of the irs regarding our political enemies and then lastly i mean one of the lessons we receive that list which designers and business of the opponent priority actively intervene as i come from because he

wasn't though languages represented the other stars of having studied attachment and evaluated recommendations for the disgust action i believe you'll find my list worthwhile for growth that space age a new worker dirty pop records and priority order and i want everybody to listen to some of the comments that may alongside remains stranded in the message it should be hitting hard starting with this particular individual scandal would be most helpful here richard jackson coming out of that region is a leading black anti nixon spokesman there's no weaknesses for white females

these exhibits these are the incentives the return in yesterday one part of the record of activity along those matters and prostitution and illegal and now we get to the point as to whether or not we've had a truth will prevail or whether in fact they still continue it's true immigration reform the white house will take a public posture for cooperation but privately will attempt to restrain the investigation and make it as difficult as possible get information and witnesses

a behind scenes media effort will be made to make his own and reappear reports and reduce their impact by attempting to show that the democrats are engaged in the same types of activities would you like to expand on that state and he was there anything that you like i think it created council yesterday that meeting i mean several notes which i have not endorsed him into that will be turnover is an exhibit and his material as documented in that form will

because the thing that worries me i suppose more than anything else about these hearings is that people say these things happened in nineteen seventy and it happened in nineteen seventy one at a nineteen seventy two it was nineteen seventy three and these are matters that were back then may involve people that are just back there something that reflects this committee there are some orders through nineteen seventy three around march twenty sixteen march twenty seven i indicated by press statements that that the watergate conspiracy

went beyond those seven person is engaged in the actual rate this was done in a statement a person also in an interview with npr that was on the twenty six and twenty seventh of march and german to read it a telephone conversation between mr obama and to comment on the twentieth march this conversation that takes wide and in the possession of the committee what we might identify as having them some of them was a peanut butter mixture through the president

wanted me to cover with you are you out of sideline climbing about my parents' health all thought ok so it's a direct line the money one of us do those two things that i did yesterday about the grand jury about that yeah they call cabaret and have fat content or wider earthquake around his second story that he put out yesterday to the effect that he had information about white house involvement he was talking there about political sabotage and not about awarding findings about somebody gave quite vague with pat as juliet well presidents feeling years that it wouldn't be too bad for you when

you're a press conference in the next couple of days that says that may not about run record they just say we can't continue and it turns out you don't have any one east it really opens the question the advisability of provoking you know confrontation would like you're welcome and as i was amazed because usually would it was christmas

and there weren't any there we go the piano the point of it isn't easy we were with him

after he said he didn't have anything we kind of an excitable good and we just might we just might not want to alienate and i think if he finds himself in a direct word out of the white house and meet and losers based about it i think in the long run we might be back guy i say you don't think that this is evidence of alienation the point of no return their findings known him all i don't agree with general concept of the members of eight general richard kleindienst secondly

anybody has any information we know we want we expect to get so we've investigated nursery invite other people to anybody who was information like that is obstructing justice i did not refer to whiter my job right now is not to do so well and the white house if that if we would conclude that that is what is it is completely elated that i say we got to take them will keep track of that and you'll be talking the baker in your field and phone conversation goes on this is in the possession of the committee members are full review of that committee

members of the committee jazzy triggs the committee session you know and david mr lachman globally already by this time as result of some of the things that occurred on the clippers the twenty second and i believe the

sometime before this however and discussing this committee i recall hearing and i cannot recall specifically who raised a number of members of this committee and the republican members who may have received campaign contributions during the second election the white house summit money might not have been reported action being examined the records of that all of those contributions are locked in a state in my former office they were to pass thereby ms colson i had never read them like they were put in there with instructions of millennium ice that would look at including myself and the thought was to go through those who find out what was in there i am not aware of specific way of any details of the big issues that were made to

republicans or democrats or anyone specifically i know this was discussed at one point in time in other words this was one of the writers and discuss a look into is unease it was research some way an individual of these contribution for the nineteen seventy two campaign event of the white house and other western through indicate to them that something illegal or something wrong church itself to the contributions made to my campaign

his answer to the white house and his answer to press people who had been sent by the white house was that there wasn't anything illegal and there was a war no when i cry would you describe who the committee that incident which took place during the interview which point in time us to leave the meeting was arranged since it was becoming evident that i'm

here and that he wanted very much to do talk with me when people operate and talk with you i told them at that time i didn't want to get into any depth that's right my areas of knowledge because of your membership on the committee the following commands their discussions at some point in time i thought i ought to inform you of the fact that at this rate a minute ago that i was aware that it was in africa a very few and i that discussion in front of yours that for anyone else at the company i didn't know the substance of that and i thought there is one person to another out i just tell you what i knew about them bank attention was due out that they were barking up the wrong tree would you say were thirty seconds and azalea back in

the room let's move to an incident that occurred were by a reporter in washington dc he was going to give any money to my campaign and that he had reasonable even money wasn't traveling and go and quite frankly i was being disloyal republican and though the time when ken to substantiate this request there was actually no substantiation one of the calls but our love of why we go ahead and get me alone there

and saw a couple days ago i i indicated over nbc television apartment here and that efforts were still being made russia's committee concerned about my state want to know what the facts were i in the cadence to have recalls in storage under threat here i did not indicate to an armenian i did not indicate during the time of the white house to communicate with another individual the time the chilean embassy i don't have a

problem and time to come either to step forward and make a specific charge or to go ahead and disavow these attempts to remember the commission special prosecutor that's sufficient personal experience of reading the fake telephone conversation and with this nebulous letters through campaign funds so that in my opinion there's the possible violation of yet another long after all a violation of was in business over the past year

not this committee disgust you and i have asked him to look into the possible violation of friction fifteen of our which is the obstruction of proceedings before department's agencies and committees last section says the threat of force or by communication and four years of structure and peas do about the administration of the longer which such proceeding is being have the force of the former agency of the united states or the exercise of the power of inquiry under which such unclear investigation is being had by your house or any committee in the house committee of congress shall be fine now more than five thousand dollars or imprisoned not more than five years or both melanoma sabena

seven music throughout the event that you only have a small part in but i think it's important to read the new testament living alone and that we have in the world to make me the current in the worst possible light to try to intimidate me through that process too well let's put it this way will issue an eyewitness year or others meet in this committee chair yellen and but they were

stable he's going to come before the committee the northwest no intimidation knowing and no no working through the credibility of individuals the executive branch of government wants to meet the standards of the american people separate interim arms and the time has come to start reacting and stop playing this type of again and i did this about completely or make a very specific charges that apparently are being leaked out either remembers oregon's witnesses appearing before this committee mr woodward well i think new rumors over

the years by a vote of the park in the nineteen seventies i say before you a message for the american people must know again i'm here as a republican and quite frankly i think that i expressed the feelings of the forty two other republican senators and republicans in the state of connecticut and in the republican party there's

various individuals let me make it clear as i got i have bipartisan moment republicans do not cover all republicans do not go ahead and threaten republicans do not go ahead and commit illegal acts and republicans julie lol it's been thank you very much i had the opportunity to discuss this matter

when he was running for the committee hearing and that time you and i discuss the possibility that there were indications that anyone had tried to create an atmosphere or reduce militias impact on any witnesses or any member of this committee and the spectacle on foreign reserves are they'll play that would be a legitimate inquiry for the sat this committee and for the other law enforcement agencies in the country so my act on new and any other member of this committee chairman but i'm sure that i speak his sentiments as well say that as we develop information up best occurrences that ought to be investigated and certainly argue true relating to any person any witnesses relating to any number of this committee at that

well probably be investigated because that this committee surely within the scope and jurisdiction of our effort five thirty am an expression of my talent on whether we continue to lose time with her there's no objection then the committee will stand in recess took on the marble ceiling we've been watching john dean for four days now and i think it's becoming increasingly clear that if john dean's testimony is to be discredited the deed will be done by the urban comedy it'll have to come from some other source possibly the white house tomorrow for the committee to conclude its questioning of it is when the sole witness this week and yet after three days of questioning the committee has a listen to a little information but wasn't contained in his original two hundred and forty five pages opening statement

still raged ever since as senators hop from one topic to another jumping from an official nineteen seventy one enemies list in nineteen seventy three meeting on the watergate cover up the next witness will be the former attorney general and campaign director john mitchell but the real kind of questions are waiting for john ehrlichman and bob haldeman members of the white house faction now appears opposed to the mcgregor mitchell dream team and the most crucial questions for the president himself gentleman today again emphasized the importance of getting some sort of input from president nixon but no one on the committee is ready to demand that the president be invited or even subpoenaed by the committee perhaps that offered such a move would deepen what's now been officially adjourned by the white house a constitutional crisis or perhaps they just there is such a move would be bad public relations as you saw her in the final moments of debates questioning senator weicker was talking with john thain about what health

plans they influenced your ribbon committee about low fines and back correspondent peter kay talk to senator baker about when the hearings ended workers spoke at the end of this session of the pressure on him and john keenan by implication and other committee members from the white house that you had such purchases depends on how you approach you know i'm not sure i've had an inquiry from the white house that has been spoken of and this record about whether they might have some input into collecting minority council i did not interpret that is pressure on some of the football team saying no the matter dropped there's no effort to press the other senator wyden from a point that i think serves a very very common is very important and as you know i indicated senator wyden for my colleagues on the committee that if there is reasonable indication that someone was trying to pressure the committee members or witnessed or anyone

else that it's certainly within our jurisdiction authority to investigate i can understand sector workers concern i'm sympathetic to it and i think he was perfectly within its rights to like the statement he made to date now are in my own case that pressure i had no hesitation in saying no i just say that an assembly that will monitor this what do think that when you met with the president on and finally one of the exhibits and that putting the agenda set of bigger appears to be truly deserves cooperating you know peter were any of them put up in the way that i have no recollection of that the as you remember i asked mr deane if he could recall how much of an agenda but he dictated was so discouraged with the president and he indicated only two items and as i told the president i thought he ought not to claim executive privilege heat only hope

we never allow parents when i told him what i thought he ought not to do it i think he will skip the rest of it but i don't know that expression that was my recommendation to the chief executive officer the country and i'm happy as a matter fact that is worked out senator thank you very much and it's common strategy remains unclear it issued two separate versions of the questions by special counsel fred buzz up and bows out himself is not a gangster explain his statement wasn't the official presidential position and if it wasn't what it is the question for everybody right now is how is john dingell and after four days well on the old that question the two everybody sue what's today's session with his david austin of georgetown university law school here in washington and stephen hess former nixon aide author on political subjects and now a senior fellow at brookings institution festival nature assessment john dean at this point i think gandhi is doing

very very well as a witness lawyers sometimes don't make very good witnesses because they are so busy analyzing the legal aspects of the questions that are being thrown at them but they forget the dancers have to be spontaneous and direct and that they have to answer questions but i think he's doing remarkably well i must add however that i think part of the reaction that i have is based on the fact that the questions that are being thrown out on the bar for the most part very easy questions they are questions that do not really probe they are questions that are very easy for him to answer and very easy for him to talk when he wants to avoid mentioning things that might strike a discordant note with individuals that he does not want to offend and except for saturday i think that all of the people who have been asking him questions have given him the opportunity to make almost any response he wants seemed pleased with his answers even when they

were not responsive to the question what good how would you assess the net result of senator baker's question i think that simon baker either deliberately or accidentally in fact bolster dean's testimony and by bolstering i mean we went over it with this routine step by step and i think he made the testimony more direct he made the testimony certainly more legal because of the way the eu and i think the couple is agreed to about john thain after four days i would agree that john dean has been a very cool and skillful what this certainly develop a pattern of sgt they're a seamy activities at the white house but i would contend in regard to that one concern central concern that we all have and the question of what was the president's direct role in the watergate cover up for all things four days in twenty hours and two hundred and forty five

page statement made boil down that one pregnant paragraph where he talks about the media march thirteen in which he gives his opinion direct quotes from the president concerning offer is iran's money in executive clemency what about his demeanor as a witness and as a human beings sitting there and of course part of that of that weight and within about his assessment of all believe the believability of the witness how to write that district that i remember how it a he appears to be spontaneous he even lapsed there are not very many moments where one can laugh when one has been before the senate of the united states for four days he has a certain degree of spot maybe about him and i think most of all he he carries with him a feeling that perhaps just perhaps he has been put a part of these various threats or leaks that have been made to the press which have tried to impugn his character are valid that is to say he has

been put upon he has been threatened threats of course are in the mind of the holder well i think the dean comes across very well almost as the innocent young man despite the very very damaging statements that he's made about himself i was erected a major factor just thought well ira quite that's highly in the same the same sets a dean doesn't come across to me as the type of fellow that i'd like to have is a friend or have over for dinner i've got a stake in the backyard or anything like that the unity get comes across as very cool very calculating after all this time you have to have a certain respect for the fact that only this but he hasn't lost his temper like that i would happen says suspect maybe most people would have had a reason to bethel important thing to get the important thing is that he has not come across as a person we disbelieve them

at certain that scores the key question at this point that their job the important thing i guess is that dean has now undergone is for long day here's the star watergate workers and his credibility seems to remain largely unchallenged in an effective way sen baker the vice chairman of the committee said to remember that the central question is what did the president now and when did he know strenuous questioning by some members of the committee and questions about a white house have failed to shake bean's contention that the president knew a lot and quite early morn doubt the committee has succeeded in raising and that is why sen bernie is whether different interpretations may be placed on the fact that the net has consistently resided for four days so these charges against the president stand and seem likely to stand until the former attorney general john mitchell takes the stand the week after next now which mitchell has been tasked by the white house as

being spayed and co conspirator the role he chooses to play and corroborate her of being or a defender of the president may well be the decisive factor in resolving this most important question facing the committee is mr nixon as innocent as he claims for my college again peter j and jim lehrer i'm robert mcneill good night from washington you've been watching gavel to gavel videotape coverage of hearings by 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 unpacked and a vision of a greater washington educational telecommunications association you'll say hillary or newton and

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