1974 Nixon Impeachment Hearings; 1974-07-24; Reel 2

the pope live coverage of the house judiciary committee's impeachment debate continues back in washington now and you can save a committee room is vacant except for law enforcement officers to respect in the room there was an unexpected recess of the debate on by the house judiciary committee articles of impeachment as a result of a bomb threat general be no recess the year the proceedings a metal we're awaiting now of the rome has to be forcefully inspected in a way all clear sound of one where another before the committee will continue at this point at this point we've heard one two three four five six seven arguments in this first general round of fifteen minutes age let's go to work karen lewis of gun did you notice any surprises other than the bomb threat

ig and yes indeed our one of the republican members that we all expect it might be ready to vote are for impeachment of the president was henry smith of new york now he noticed he said that he sees no evidence at all now that the president has committed an impeachable offense on any chart except possibly the bombing of cambodia that was enormously surprising because that's been one of the issues we didn't expect to be taken terribly seriously other republicans or the democrats you may know that amy smith is retiring this year and he's hoping for an appointment by the nixon administration whether that has had anything to do with this position we don't know and what did you make of the glorious statement he also has been considered course because he is the second ranking republican has been very visible way they also considered a key vote whichever way he goes and particularly those of the house and that does go to the house that day how did you interpret his remarks he seems to be leaning for impeachment of the president not on the issue of watergate again that's rather interesting that the reasons why people are leaning one where

another is just really the surprise this evening it seems to feel that the president has really insulted the congress has insulted the judiciary committee because he failed to provide evidence which the congress demanded for the impeachment proceedings and i think that could be a very very serious charge and i think it could be very dangerous for the president's chances if the court does decide to go on that issue i'm years old culpepper question both of them watching know these members of congress many of them at least over several years now cemented peter rodino for instance when he met is opening statement he was much more eloquent than it was wonderful for sitting began ten weeks ago was signed why with hutchinson about you you think they want to be without the oratorical task i think it was quite obvious i think two things were robbie has denied jim number one i think that they were aware that television was there and all this living colour glory and i think the additional way beyond that i think that they were aware that they were addressing

themselves to one of the most historic proceedings which we can have under our constitutional form of government and i think the importance of the i was reflected in what they had to say tonight is quite true that most routine or was the was very eloquent what he had to say and i think that to all these numbers as they spoke to now it seemed may try to speak in a statesman like they may try to put the impeachment issue beyond partisan politics i think for example it was just on the floor you said that as a republican he felt that he had to vote on the issue of impeachment not on the basis of what was best for the republican party but what was best for the country and as carolyn indicated just a moment ago where i did make it clear that he felt the evidence was not really that's strong in the area of the cover up and he's done so far is the president directing and getting people goes to the cover up which is you know john doar the committee

counsel head and made much ado in his arguments but the stomach are obviously was disturbed about president sanctioning wrongdoing in the white house or having some knowledge of wrongdoing by his aides and he also was concerned about the president not faithfully executing the laws those things seem to have considerable impact on the security and he seemed to make a rather plain that he was ready to vote impeachment on those grounds jam we have a news item which came in just a moment ago which quotes the democratic house leader thomas o'neil of massachusetts as saying today that only a miracle can save the president in an interview on national public radio congressman o'neil said that he would now have to say that the president will be impeached by the house now mr o'neill was talking not just about the committee itself but he is talking about the house of representatives and so i'm suggesting that the

president will be impeached by a minimum of sixty votes and he goes on to say that there will be a tidal wave that would at the house and he could be impeached by over one hundred so is this interview grandin visits a year called prior to the president's decision to give up the tapes or afterward or would you know obviously there's the day was out of the supreme court that the original supreme court decision what point affirmation for those are those of you who made that the faces may be a new illness and corey when the window occasionally when a pitcher would go to john doerr sitting at the counsel today we analyse is flanked by two men the man the man on his right is a sand castle who is the new minority staff councilman on his lap as albert general who was the er staff of minority council and the man who now has become a member of doors majority staff there's not a lot of time there for either poor ideas of voiceover and the and explain that when you say that shot again is our

general lap sam harrison right of collective karen lewis on the hill i think it's interesting to point out that well we talked about a great deal constitutional issues and you're getting that from the democratic side if you noticed at hutchinson was the ranking republican ticket more to a political level and he kind of made it plain that this was a political effort to remove the president probably more significant hutchison did in a rather mild way as the committee to please delay its proceedings on articles of impeachment until it manages to get the material from the port which is being made available by the supreme court decision today from the quarry also mention that began a very mild form and this i think would confirm that while the republicans made make a gesture in the direction of demanding that there be a delay in the proceedings and they don't seem to be too anxious into firm about it and i think that that means these proceedings will probably go ahead regardless

of what happens as far as joe warr city getting mixed tapes and of course as far as the possibility of those tapes being made available to the house judiciary committee is concerned about touches on every question which i wanted to or do you carolyn do you think that there is now a new republican tactic of delay that the president's staunchest defenders on the committee members like congressman hutchinson a michigan working closely with the white house will now try to use the supreme court decision as a method of dragging out the impeachment process all the more well i think what they're going to do first of all is trying to see if they can persuade the president to make the tapes available then that would mean that they wouldn't have to delay i think i'm going to try to work from behind the scenes as i said just a few moments ago the way they handled this it wasn't very angry demanding it wasn't an effort really to sway the committee took to delay everything i think at first going to try to persuade the white house to voluntarily and

over those materials and perhaps to do quickly i don't see that this early stage any sign that there is a concerted effort to delay the proceedings even by the president's staunchest backers like iran a reminder that we are in recess the house judiciary committee debate on impeachment is in recess a result of a bomb threat we are graced with the presence of the prominent pulitzer prize winning historian barbara tuchman tonight mr eckman henry snappy congressman republican congressman from the arc the midst of a few minutes ago said quote i think almost at what these gentlemen are about to do will affect our nation for the rest of time the overlap yes yes i do i am i think to go back to what we were saying at the beginning that it's vitally important as i see it through begin to restore so far as we can one can alter the course of

history at restoring the confidence of citizens in their government which i feel has has been failing over the last period when confidence in government fails of our day evan power loses a farting because of foreign aid is only effective songs people believe in it and her and it is a very dangerous situation to get into i think confidence in an orderly government has sunk to a a low in a city i not seen before my lifetime i think part of the plunges not all of it by any means but there's a great plus we all see now as responsibly mr mixson and his appointees of home that somebody say a team i was

at nine or ten fourteen other areas eighteen who have either been convicted or who have pled guilty to various crimes and there are another six that are still under indictment case is not an insult no that's not just white house officials that includes also a former officials of the committee to re elect the president that all those people are in the long run americans another presidential appointees and it seems to me this is one of the most serious aspect because when you have a great team or whatever it is staff members found guilty of wrongdoing the presumption is not that the boss is an eagle scout i don't see how it can be it seems to me that that this group of men on the equities of the president and he is responsible for them and update at the opening the program you made the point at which he reiterated somewhat that congress itself is also on

trial as much as say the president were you not then taken with the fact that these seven men who spoke and thus far that i would say all the maybe one or two made the same exact point regardless of what the outcome of this is that congress itself is also on trial you know i was i think they feel that the seriousness of what they said except for mr hutchinson seemed not to be purely acting on a republican party prices for everyone else dancing as cowan was and i said the beginning it would have a solemn tone and that's what we're speaking of german chancellor congressman williams with their own congressman preston welcome to tell us whether you think is going to be an effort to delay these proceedings because of the supreme court decision no i do not our ranking member not just mention that in his opening remarks

but there's been no agreement even discussions serious discussion amongst republican members the only context in which la might have resulted was if the president had announced at seventy mr hynes evening tv news going to sample of taste vary about this committee in them responsibly we should look at the very record that an order of the phoenix suns and anything that committee and he didn't say he was going to do it and so absent some rather they're showing ever gonna get that we obviously family unless were waiting for something with the sheraton we are going to get on there any behind the scenes in the new rules to try to persuade the president to hand those materials over to the judiciary committee scenes i think that they are open this member of your other members have exerted such impulses we haven't turned out to be minimal and the president all along them the requested material laurie seemed to say this evening that he felt that it could be an impeachable offense that the president hasn't provided the materials to this committee

and do you think that that's a rather serious statement coming from such a senior member did anyone who says he might vote for impeachment seriously but i'm not not at all satisfied the problem for him now once he got an opportunity to reflect on the long to realize i am i can understand his anguish infestation which i share we're requesting to be removed but simply because yesterday and i believe in that they got the materials were either not relevant or were covered by executive privilege and to punish the president by removal from office on the basis of that their assertions without an adjudication of the question of whether he is in fact they have pre grossly unfair and

hasn't executive privilege been struck down virtually now that the supreme court decision well the supreme court declared for the first time a rule of law today if the president acts tomorrow in defiance of that that sort of a different color i don't think it's fair to punish any citizen for not anticipating in advance what the supreme court would do in a novel question never before considered by the decision today does not like an executive privilege at all it simply says that in the context of a specific criminal proceeding and there can be an inherent affection thank you carolyn congressman reagan's as everyone probably knows by now has been one of the president's most ardent defenders on the committee i think up on the basis of the new they the discussion was just finished between karen and congressman wiggins it might be well to

read the president's words earlier the same thing on this issue of confidentiality he said and saying that he was going to abide by the court ruling and saying that dumb and it was disappointed in the ruling that he says quote for the future it will be essential if the special circumstances of this case not be permitted to cloud the rights of presidents to maintain the basic competence reality without which this office cannot function i was gratified therefore to note that the court reaffirmed both the validity and you ortiz of the principle of executive privilege possible i have sought to maintain and quote and of course what the india court's ruling today what chief justice berger said was that of course there was the ride of executive privilege that they said in this particular case that the right of executive privilege had to go second to the right evidence in a criminal case which was basically they you know the ruin of the korea did not

in an essence throw out executive privilege is an actual fact i think gm executive privilege was built a severe blow today and this may have been a face saving though way of the president putting it feeling that day he was left something but i think in the eyes of constitutional scholars i think today is her decision will be regarded as a star to me it was after all an eight to nothing verdict against the president and it was established by the highest court in the land that the president does not have the right to withhold important evidence from a court of law rather lonely the all of the report ours making was that it only the court only laid this reference as a concern criminal cases and fresno services an example of executive privilege where there was a simple matter of some kind that did not involve litigation maybe before congressional committee or even in a civil court i think it would be then i hear again i'm no constitutional expert was enemy would be

fun to take this decision today and say executive privilege of all kinds has been struck that what you think about that workout when you said gee i haven't seen it but just from what i've heard it seemed to me that they specifically linked it to the necessity of a court our acquiring evidence in a quick and criminal case they didn't i don't think was to do disagree without when the fact that the unanimity is very impressive and instantly gone against the president and it will affect the whole mood of the congress for herself but that's my point i recognize the validity of work of what both legitimate same but nonetheless the president has held for example that he had carved wash and effect to withhold whatever you wish to withhold on that with the argument that there is a presidential confidentiality of the constitution which permits to do this and it seems to me the court was saying no that's not

really cannot do that is like any other so that they were they were up holding them i'm a civil law over the individual teams but without her throwing out completely the have a concept of secularism but a reminder of course that we're in a break in recess called the chairman latino the result of a bomb threat and the hearing chambers of the house judiciary committee and i will be back there shortly as soon as they give the all clear let's go now to carolyn lowest rung i have here at george daniels in a democratic member of the house judiciary committee yesterday us and do you think there's any chance of the republicans are going to succeed in trying to delay these proceedings and you think as an effort to delay these proceedings until you get the supreme court evidence so i'm sure there'll be an effort made to delay the proceedings i doubt that it will be successful all most of us realize that if the tapes had something in them which would have been exonerated of the present you would have produced them a

long time ago and if they do not well then we don't need any more evidence anyway so i don't think that any real purpose or what really do you think that there are going to be a substantial number of republicans voting to impeach the president wants to appeal from inside why did my feelings back in line since the supreme court decision as of this morning i thought we'd probably have a total of twenty six or twenty seven which obviously require some republican votes i don't know what impact the supreme court decision will have an amazing reaction well and some people may feel that well now maybe we should wait and look at listen to the tapes and that's a guess i'm making you know and we do a lot of this sort of that's why we sense a caliphate and i and i still think he's twenty six or twenty seven votes but i gave one to the effect of supreme court decisions or

the president say that you would provide the tapes to the judiciary committee sources we know the supreme court decision will give cities to do or sweeter if the president said he would provide those tapes to the committee that you think it would only be fair to wait for the well off i don't believe that we should wait any longer we've been at it for so many months that i think the american people are probably way ahead of us yeah there's really no one would be hurt if we cannot weigh it if the bill of impeachment its report out and if there's anything of value and therefore the present you can still use them is not lost or they could be used for instance in the senate trial as a matter of fact if he's really about some information wants to hear nothing to prevent him from publishing them tomorrow you know he published a lot of thirteen hundred and forty pages without asking anybody permission he can do that here and said you can use lethal york city would consider voting to impeach the president on the bombing of cambodia think there's not a

groundswell for that particular article of impeachment know i'm really surprised that that was a total surprise to me and i might say was a little surprised i think everyone of them i've spoken it might be very interesting old father brian in favor of certain several favorite hardly anyone believe that they're ready number of votes necessary to make it practical to include it as an ounce what they're a number who favor such a an article but i don't think anyone dreamed that there would be twenty votes for northern particularly thank you very much and we like to say for the record just once more that after all these weeks of deliberation the house judiciary committee has had its first destruction caused by a bomb threat and while the committee run is being searched and committed and the committee members talk among

themselves with the press outside we are merely proceeding with our own discussion here to bring you up to date on what is happening there is a parliamentary development which has occurred inside the committee tonight which is of some significance in so far as the impeachment debate is concerned the number two ranking democrat our old donahoo massachusetts has moved to recommend the president to be impeached on the basis of two articles the first would be a charge of obstructing justice going out of the watergate case the watergate cover up the second would be that the president has abused his power his presidential power in a variety of lawyers the last moment we understand a third article charging mr nixon with contempt of congress for refusing to comply with committee's subpoenas this was merged into the second article now by allowing this motion to be made tonight by the second ranking committee

member democrat down into the chairman of the committee mr rubino has established these two articles as the principal item of business in the impeachment process that must be voted on before any other articles can be considered and thus they represent crucial voting tests when they do occur and a fact the motion that has been made by mr donohue tonight is setting the agenda for the impeachment discussion for the remainder of the week i think one of the things which is involved in the drafting of the impeachment articles and there had been little hobbles involving certain key republican members in certain key democratic members they've been taking place for the past few days and they i've been trying to reach behind the scenes agreement on how to proceed on how to actually draft the articles of impeachment that would in most the greatest possible bipartisan support it is of course to the democrats' advantage to get as

many republican votes as they can they recognized the necessity of having substantial republican support to not only clear articles through the committee but also the hill including the articles when it reached the house floor one of the things are now doing is drafting the language and some republicans i understand have taken exception to some of that language which was included in some of the articles drawn up by the committee counsel mustard or some of the other other members for example one of the article's referred to a malicious cover up well the republicans are suggesting that you don't need to use x approaches you can really say a cover up and that is the adjectives to describe it also for instance in the case of congressman poorly made it very clear that he did not agree with john doerr strapped in article of impeachment the charge that the president directed the cover of the watergate from the day the brake and onward it

sir going back to one point you made it might be a useful to point out what is considered the magic number in terms or they're twenty one that democrats and that they must be john what is a debate though the word is the five republicans joined them this would ensure a much higher vote on the on the house floor three or less durbin the president considers the president's chances of escaping impinged on the house for increased right camille i had an interesting conversation with a white house aide the other day who told me that if if the president lost as many as five republicans and the white house would have lost the blogging if they lost as many as three republicans it would be a standoff that they lost only one republican then it would be a significant victory for the president why understand the colorless is standing by a couple our own we just had were appalled that they have searched the committee room and they have found no bomb and very surely

will be going back into the proceedings they are going to be searching everybody is that he or she goes in so it may take a little bit of time for everyone to go inside but they have found that there was no bomb in the committee room just was a bomb scare in a bomb threat so that's one point of really for us barbara tuchman i noticed follow heroin was during her interview with congressman dan willson a few moments ago that you were opposing animated and when to comment on something that he said now is richer i was interested too in in there representative henry smits surprising remark about the secret bombing of cambodia because it always seemed to me from the start that one of the most reprehensible aspects of the nixon presidency not only because he did it because he lied to the american public about it and also add because it brings out and again this question of

congressional responsibility and failure of responsibility because i feel that it's going to take a great deal of responsible behavior by the congress to wipe out the absence responsibility i'm the question of war all through the last decade and the failure of the congress two curved presidential war making when it is a provision of the constitution that we cannot should not how i believe make war without ratification of a declaration of war by the congress has simply we've been making war without that for quite a while and the so called gulf of tonkin resolution to me

was in la and shameful bloch have record of congress are just saying to the president go ahead do which like an old that's only made this for senator johnson ministration it certainly legalize the actions of the president but it's not the gulf resolution well radical it did in a crack in the technical sense but it's a it what it really represented was congress saying i look we can't to sorry we can't pass on this problem we know nothing about it you're going to which he won which is not what congress is supposed to do in relation to war making activity of the nation which is a very serious matter and i think that's why i feel that both the power of the presidency and the end and the balance getting the power the president the power of the congress is what is at issue

of not at issue but it's being played out here i think we should point out and stockman that congress has taken at least one small step some people think it's a big step but however you may regarded in that it has approved a war powers bill which is designed to circumscribe the president's activities and leading us into war and to compel the president to come to congress to endlessly advice and the consent of congress before american troops are committed to fighting and jackets act correct the significant thing of course just in terms of the year the politics of this committee of course was that henry smart a conservative republican race this is as a banner some point of the interview with carolyn it's been the anti war people on the committee are primarily by the drive in congresswoman novels one and the arc of those are the people who have been pushing the a cambodia bombing as a possible article impeachment as anderson set up the list point

the way but it had a chance that probably still doesn't have a chance but it's a you know it isn't just a moment ago jim i think it's a curiosity that that mr smith would mention this in laws does not figure significantly in the debate and i know of no one who has been in close touch with a committee who feels that the cambodian bombing will be included as one of the articles of impeachment committee mr smith is this really feels so it's really about our outer layer for once was when my cousins and seven just being can i ask you about the fundamental dispute which exists over what does constitute an impeachable offense as we well know and as we've heard many times in recent months there is a a broad view about what constitutes an impeachable offense and then there's the narrow view the broad view basically being that you take a

comprehensive package of presidential misdeeds or wrongdoing and you have an impeachable offense and the narrow view of course is that a president cannot be impeached unless he has committed a crime for which he could be conveyed convicted in a court of law how do you see that are well i am not a constitutional lawyer but i would say that an impeachable offenses abuse of power and i don't think he knew all this business of the smoking while elderly friend of mine's in her eighties that the rather plaintive lay eggs very puzzled about this door talk about a smoking obama what they want she said they want to see and murdering that while robbing a bank it's not that you have to have sound overt statement of by the president's out loud saying hey mr hunt house money and it

seems to me that it virtually said that in the tapes we already have read but i would immediately and tired body of the abuse of the office the bringing it into content and there luring of the hold standard of the office of the presidency and its core say in all fairness when we must point out that what you have just given as the whip who has come to refer to is the broad view of what constitutes an impeachable offense that is held by john laurenson the democrats on the committee the other side of that is the narrow view held by the white house of course and some republican members which is that it high crimes and misdemeanors and should be taken in a literal sense that the president must continue good outcome that they are they criminally and died of all of france in a corset and then gets given the wrong thing i think john robie you know his back and he is in his chair in a committee room

now there is a search for these parents reported that search for the fall and we're not willing to rejoin and move on with the next man scheduled to speak is charles son on a republican i think that argument karlan it's now waiting outside the committee won't we'll have the word republican congressman trent lott of mississippi carla <unk> you met earlier this evening with jerry ford was there something very seriously looked rather grim faced when he met with you can you tell us whether you are leaning toward impeaching the president was trying to persuade you otherwise well they are we have a regular meeting on wednesday afternoons of a group called saturn marching it's basically a social group of about some forty seven members over several years theory becomes quite often we've had at least one meeting in his office we discuss a variety of things including some legislation before congress i don't think that he left rome place perhaps it was just that he

was trying not to get in the position of having to say what might be set at seven o'clock by the president's counsel he did know he had not told us what a lot of music and that the meeting that was held upstairs mr glenn davis is off his monitor was that a us social media that had nothing to do with these proceedings that was a meeting of a group called charmer and marching and we need every wednesday at five o'clock and what ultimately in davis' office and what it was like to love which way are you leaning well i'm one of those is trying to keep a low profile and i get very upset with my colleagues on the committee formica i think premature statements like this just too much happening i think we should wait till it's all said and done oh look what happened a day maybe something else will happen tomorrow on and change the whole the direction of this revolt writer businessweek at least i do not intend to make any profound statement before i will marvel who will be my decision and i will announce before you want to delay this procedure until you can get a taste of the president i might say that all of us have assumed quite rightly that

on my attitude has been the president's innocent until proven guilty were very clear and convincing evidence so i'm sure you're something that they definitely was right i don't know right now but i would say that the proceedings should be postponed there's some things we can do we can go on with disciplinary debate and then look at what happens i think it somewhat when i think of this evidence and reports and again it should be pointed out for the record that the congressman trent lott of mississippi is considered at this point as the confirmed andy against the impeachment camp the next speaker on the list going by seniority alternating democrat and republican is to be as i said charles simon lewis at a republican as some of the cape may new jersey no plan was defeated for new jersey governor last year has been an ardent supporter of mr nixon and is considered also as is mr lat a probable vote for a probable against impeachment you can say generally now is once again in his

chair up we understand that there are some empty chairs there in the committee room apparently a poll numbers didn't get the word that the obama recess looms over courses like the big three will determine that there was no plan i would like to refer for just a mutt minute to have a rule of gerald ford the vice president in all of this which carolyn was just an issue just questioning congressman trent lott about that there is now quite a bit of speculation about the rule being played by the vice president and whether he is now working for the president's cause in a diligent way behind the scenes for example and it's been revealed that the vice president within the phone call to republican congressman yesterday who now go back to the committee wrong and here is chairman of the you know who is as chairman levin on

spring we didn't say too much about it online as we started the night i become my household name johnny know names like merlin and baker prior prior proceedings are related to this overall matter of you know among other things is the only poland an italian opera lover on this thirty eight member half of this year it is once again time to start again after a new research bills and it declared an iraqi committee will resume its proceeding and i now recognize the gentleman from new jersey mr sandman for purposes of debate only for a period not to exceed fifteen minutes with sam thank you mr

chairman i'm not going to attempt to cover all of the charges that have been made i'm an isolate my statements to the major tribes of the watergate and watergate cover up before not for that i don't think we'd be here tonight i think it's altogether proper to make amends by making a little bit of a review on what we've done where we are tonight and where we hope to go near my mind is on james as a result of the supreme court's decision today i believe that this committee had gone with his work there are sufficient votes here for impeachment resolution this everyone knows factor has been that many votes here for a long time there's no use to anybody about that zarate i will so what is in a new tapes a homage it that exist to teach the president for some reason or another

now i think that to say that this is the most unusual proceeding that i have ever been apart of would be a tremendous understatement finally music may is is important as that is and that the law has been upheld and competence behind closed doors what i read the papers from day to day lead me to believe i could have and there must have been somewhere else we start in close session and we swore by everything that was wholly that we went up hold the rules of confidentiality that has been a jolt of the sanctions there has been nothing members of the other side have reported to the media every hour warmly are some every are born a half hour we have become the first forum in the history of man

to release to the public every shred of information we hadn't before a single decision was ever made when that that ever happened before never what we have not and then when we think about releasing information i'm wonder we have released tens of thousands of agents to the public and to the media the media to destroy have they chosen some people in the media like to do that and this involved hundreds of innocent people where was the american civil liberties union about that isn't it strange that they have been remarkably silent when we're in la we haven't welling through one method or another they give to the media whatever method they were you that every shred of evidence of events and most of it is not air

interesting thing about this though is what happened the other day just for example one final rally the media hadn't had yet with a lot of documents that had seven hundred and fifteen pages out about miscellaneous documents i was asking so the other members of this committee as well for this well in la without a discussion of a single page or a single back him that's hardly the way you conduct a good hearing is that what that's the way we've been working fortunately that was the fate and now another thing that happened the other day i raise the question which i thought was a good one i want all over my counsel could advise me as to whether or not the articles of impeachment should be specific should each article and wally singular subject i thought accurate now former open their mouth we never get that far and

the chairman at the gavel on under the table that was so there's never been a decision even on that point and from the law as i understand the law the articles that we've been handed tonight both that what the law requires because here you have a general article of impeachment everything including the kitchen site and that's they say from the best information available to me from some of the best legal minds in the war although should not be i'll allow that i got now i have consistently said from time to time at the chairman of the un a good job or their jobs and i think the hapless i complimented the staff i compromised council vote majority and win it but there's never been really much difference between us though and i meant what i said that is i mean at that night but things started to change three weeks ago

three weeks ago it changed from one nonpartisan inquiry and the law highly partisan prosecution never ever there was one i would see you would have better than that i suppose i should do away with tournaments and get down to why we're here tonight and i hope that this has some advantage i really don't i don't love with maya change any votes i hope we go one way or another i hope it serves a purpose i can be persuaded somebody for the first time in seven months give me something that has direct aldo page and maybe that should be the challenge to my thirty six other colleagues tonight thirty seven hours and now i will say this the very outset this is not a case as far as i'm concerned for or

against richard nixon i ran for governor might stay let's hear richard nixon and healthy one blasted so i have no reason to feel kindly thought i am this is the third time the third time in my life that i ever had the vote on whether or not someone could all over iraq and i think because of the coincidence is worth telling you a little bit about the first vote that i cast in my life as a public official was when i was the youngest member newly elected and the new jersey state senate the first word had to do with the seating of a democrat senator and a resume i think i'm alison and hear the election will i listen all the experts from around the country testify at that time only eleven republicans to sign a petition and a democrat would never sit in the senate and we had sixteen including made i was the only republican who voted to seek that democrat

as a result of a long investigation approve i was the only republican or it was sixteen years to the day where i cast my first vote in the congress and that was on the cd and adam clayton powell what a coincidence that man no different than everest and mayweather and then with powell nixon or what it once i voted my conscience as i understood the law without of persuasion of the washington post and others i voted as i understood the law i was one of only thirteen republicans and i did not want an mc to one under the constitution as i understand that congress did not have the right to exclude him for the reason they said four i will only thirteen republicans who voted to see adam clayton powell coli on a constitutional grounds only one of thirteen i maybe one a lesson that than i love this and more that i don't

care cause i'm going to sing the way i think it should be done this is a way i believe i pledge mild of office paulo are only thirteen republicans who wanted the sea that only an island state supreme court said that only thirteen republicans were correct because they reverse the congress and see that now for the first time in my life i have to judge your republican the man who holds the most powerful office in the world and make no mistake about that i look back over history and i try to judge what i should do here this is the most important wang i shall ever do in my whole life and i not far more important whatever happens to me as a result of his book and i'm on a three thousand eight hundred and seven years ago the country was following the fed over step and less than

three days president johnson was impeached tearing effect of hysteria that has gone down in history as one of the blackest moments and the government of this great nation and i don't propose to be any part of a second watch on the history of this great nation how was that old we enter it shouldn't be let's not use some words by some great people into the allman put them again james madison among other things said the president should be impeached on leave with something extremely serious which affects his capability to conduct the affairs of the nation and because of james madison award was inserted and that part of the constitution having led to an

impeachment he wasn't satisfied that it could be any crime because he said at the pri crime a serious one and this is what i think we have the file on not an attacker didn't find almost made it will boost their viewers like something wrong there were lots of crimes committed by lots of people what were they placed at the door of the president i don't think so what maybe you can convince mick and the rest of the time that we have i do and if you do i will vote to impeach whatnot on what i've gotten so far madison said that the president should be removed only for the most serious offense to do otherwise would deprive the electorate of the right to select otherwise would place a mechanism in the hands of a majority party that anytime they chose they could throw the country and what turmoil replace the chief executive and i should never happen

so it shouldn't be any kind of a primate should be a serious crime affecting the chief executive ability to rule the nation some people say where there is a grand jury i think we're much more than a grand jury because even most of nora said and i do come home i'm his ability as a lawyer i think he's one of the best i've ever met matt and while the fairest that i've met kill up to three weeks ago but even he's said the weight of evidence must be clear it must be convincing unless people those two words you can substitute the run and als ken ken then sang for over me that that we're intimately and i will vote to impeach which you cannot and you should not under any circumstances to remove livestock was on a world juan anna lesson clarendon of

panel less than some when i leave here and this is what i prude i propose to do not many wrongs have been committed no question about what were those wrongs directed by the president is a direct evidence is that he had anything to do about of course are is and what has happened in the inner fair articles like this reliable knows magazine i'm told one of that say end of this isn't trying to incite people and wild frenzy against good judgment you down a oneness newsweek july twenty second nineteen seventy four the evidence only apple of extremely damaging science it's a fourteen the president i want you all the stonewall and let them we the fifth amendment for grabs do anything say the plan i was not they left off the other half of the

president acted as did that very fat bear washington post when they buried on page twenty other have a sense which point the president is saying what i'd rather it be done the other way this is what has happened every day every hour on the hour so we don't have to do this and friendly let's do it the right way but first april march twenty one nineteen seventy three were admitted that when i went to bed that night i made up my mind the president as prop the other have a chance but the following morning i heard another tape that was made only three hours later on the same day and i completely get away with what was happening in the first date so you can use one eight as that federal magazine has done it can use one part of the tape as a washington post then you'll have to use it all in contracts to arrive at the truthfulness

of what i figured we do now it is not a park was so many media that like the notes it is the purpose and the objective of the media to fairly report not the sly as this committee then obama in a weight everything that halderman know nixon no that's not true and i walk closer is one last time i wonder what the prosecutor in the united states senate is going to go for what justice i wonder what he's planted though is the kind of wheat is all place on tapes because he can't use any of the witnesses we had because every one of them testified no actor wrongdoing on the part of the president but you know thanks i'll go through to go through a lot who was the man well the money lareau was there any involvement by the president is as of the question now for the

man who receive the money but levy attorney that your client make any threat to get clemency from the president or any of his agents the answer in all as the man who supposedly directed the payment of them on a natural that the president had anything to do with that direction the answer no no these kind of witnesses how do you approach that case before the senate has the aerosol arrow honestly believes that sixty seven out of a hundred senators are willing to accept this kind of evidence i don't think so and i think this is why we're here now maybe and the time that his remaining son will somehow will point out the fact that i'm only human and i'm not infallible maybe overlooked something maybe there is a tie and would present

it as thirty seven ivy give me that information give it the two hundred and two million americans because up to this moment you have it i recognize the gentleman from california mr edwards for purposes the debate only in not to exceed fifteen it very much mr chairman i always listen with keen interest through eloquent culling from new jersey i think that the facts with regard to the leaks are of course unfortunate but i don't think it is reactor to say that the leaks came off of the site if they have been very made very clear by the press and by others that the foster dripped from both taps the hot in the cold and so far as the evidence that was released was that

my friends sam and criticize i voted against that joke but i think it should be pointed out that the presidents council mr sequeira was here he was a part of all of these proceedings and he recommended very strongly to the committee that this evidently relieved that a chairman there's been some mention made by some of our colleagues tonight regarding the supreme court decision and i think that we should remember that the supreme court was very explicit in the decision the evidence that will be released joe list of your city as only to do with the criminal trial that will cut trials that will take place it will take several months perhaps for the production the examination of the cipher even these tapes and then only the relevant portions to the criminal trials will be given to the special prosecutor the remainder will be

sealed and return to the white house are names with regard to this large impeachment inquiry a much wider armies are much wider scope then and those of the special prosecutor and in the criminal case and incidentally our subpoenas still remain in effect and we invite be the white house the president to honor those subpoenas yesterday would make our job a great deal easier and i think that the present should be reminded the supreme court rejected his claim of absolute privilege but mr chairman there's one member who thinks that the welfare of the country dictates that we proceed deliberately but with wit do speed in this undertaking that has been assigned to us by the full house of representatives and i would hope that the committee

does not consider any delay because of the supreme court decision was to chairman li yu and i am the our thirty six by other colleagues and our splendid staff have we're karen room twenty one forty one raeburn for her many weeks we've learned much about the present and all oppressed it's a man and indeed quite a lot about each other more importantly i think we have really learned the lessons and we are indebted substantially to the dorms together in the case of the five members of the staff for this re learning process this is a lesson that we're all taught in school by our parents and which we in turn try to pass on to our children it has to do with the value and beauty of our constitution

and the understanding that representative government if it is going to work requires that we all respect in the bay the constitution and that means all two hundred and twenty million of those it's a compact we have with each other that enables us to live together in peace to pursue happiness and raisin are children join our friends it requires that we treat one another with decency and respect when we're working or school it's the cement that holds us together as a decent and humane society the president united states is also a citizen but despite the rest of the constitution applies to him also in many respects that was pointed out earlier tonight marcel because he has a lot more power than any of us

our founders recognize that they recognize the frightening part that the president has that we give the president and the grave danger to the republic should he abused and still a very specific inserted in this constitution that he should be removed by congress should he bravely abuse this power and i emphasize that were greatly it's better our colleagues are dedicated people and lawyers our committee in its seemingly endless weeks of deliberations i think that rather well in accordance with the american traditions of due process and fair play we and by the press is now trying to be a part of this process to call his own witnesses to question our witnesses and to present every facet of the

president's case i agree with my colleague lester mclaury that we can take some pride in our efforts to be impartial and fair but we are divided on the question of whether or not president nixon's violation of the constitution threaten the american government the liberties of the liberties of the people and the constitution itself yes we we disagree on whether or not the evidence supports the serious charges that are contained in this bill of impeachment that was delivered to each of us tonight i would most certainly accept mr sequeira premise that a direct connection must be pro between the president and the alleged offense that i strongly disagree however when he argues that

the case against the president is based only on inferences one file on the air i strongly agree disagree old mr sequeira mr garrison insist that the only basis for this impeachment inquiry rests on whether or not the president was it untapped a participant in the watergate cover up these two fine lawyers should get high right from the president for their efforts to limit the scope of this inquiry and serving our job would be much easier if we could accept his face unfortunately for the presses defense this is not the case and the thousands upon thousands the evidence that we have reviewed in these past we catch a much broader picture indeed a presidential course a constitutional misbehavior and abuse of power commencing only a few months after he was inaugurated for the second time

and continuing until the press weather and the life i myself yes i have disagreed politically with the president for more than twenty years like my your friend and colleague of my laptop kastenmeier i had to subject my motives to the test of whether or not it's as you were on the other foot if we were judging a democratic president and one which was used i agreed with how a noble well i searched my conscience it examine and re examine the evidence listen to the tapes question the witnesses listen my colleague's question the witnesses subjected myself to be excellent briefing by the staff i tried to keep in mind the principles of the constitution and due process and that i have made up my mind and i don't make it up with my decisions that when a

really great joy <unk> nixon is a fellow californian he was a candidate for the senate in nineteen fifty and i was a supporter of his nineteen fifty as an awful lot of personal and family tragedy involved in this whole thing is that it's terribly unfortunate so that there isn't anybody on this committee that is going to be delighted with his vote to impeach but i do believe and this is the way i'm going to bolt that the president has consciously and intentionally engage in serious misdeeds it is corrupt and it's a burden are political and governmental process they to the extent that he should be impeached and the matter are sent over to our sister body the senate floor for trial to determine whether he is innocent or building a number of my colleagues on the committee the majority i think you and i are prepared to present what we think

in the next few days is an overwhelming evidence to support this conclusion on my part i'm willing to face my constituents my family myself and history with this with this silver conclusion it was chairman hi and recognize the gentlemen from illinois mr railsback for purposes they only you're not exceed fifteen minute railsback mr chairman thank you and members of the committee let me begin by saying that you mr chairman i think in a rather difficult assignment and although i haven't agreed with tuition on many occasions i think that you've handled yourself very well and i think i can say for the for the most members of the

committee that during the six months the seven weeks of looking through the thirty eight volumes of evidence the listening to the live witnesses morning afternoon and night that i can be proud of my judiciary colleagues most of them i feel badly as charlie salmon bit about the leaks selective leaks some of which i think the newspapers made a mistake and in playing a lawyer know they have a job to get the news but they say mr chairman that i used to i used to like to be on the house judiciary committee when we were worried about penal reform and juvenile delinquency trying to work trying to improve some very important things in our country that needed improvement improving but i'm about to reconsider my my assignment now that we've had amnesty abortion impeachment and now a bomb threat

let me say that i am one of those that has agonized over this particular inquiry i think it would be difficult for me frankly to consider impeaching a democratic president i regarded as say an awesome responsibility one that i don't relish at all one that is particularly difficult for me because we are considering impeaching a man richard nixon who has been in my district twice campaigning for me that i regard as a friend that has only treated me kindly whenever i've had occasion to be with them i am not one of those that would try to demean his or dirt gate his record and my opinion richard nixon has done many wonderful things for this country particularly in the field of foreign affairs and someday the

historians are going to recognize the contributions that he's made let me say that i've been asked by members of the press whether my arm has been twisted because i wondered one of the six or seven republicans that have been undecided and i can answer that with an unequivocal no matter the republican national chairman george bush in my opinion is one of the most decent honorable man and one of the great national chairman of this party generals who is the republican leader of the house as treated me only decently honestly sometimes we've had differences of opinion and i can say the same thing about my colleagues on this committee the gentleman who sits to my left who i regard as one of my best friends up on the golf course who happens to disagree with my views i think on this particular important matter

what they say are job as i do it is to try to push aside partisan considerations you're trying to be fairer to try to be judicious to try to say that the president is afforded the same opportunities that have been afforded to other respond in some recent impeachment cases there have been occasions when we have substantial party divisions because some of us on the minority have not believe that the president has always been treated fairly procedurally but i'll tell you the end result has been the chairman with some democrats on the other side has acquiesced and there's usually ended up giving mr st clair the right to participate the right to cross examine the right to call witnesses that he wanted the call i have two serious areas of concern and respect to the

allegations of misconduct that have been leveled against the president i will say unequivocally that i don't think the case has been made on the issue of the bribery charges on it at the bribery charges on the dairy man from the tapes that i've heard the evidence that i've heard i disagree with my good friend henri smith i dont think cambodia i don't think that this president should be held to account for a bombing in cambodia when those of you would read the best in that and the brightest a book by david halberstam the red probably the greatest indictment of the two previous administrations about untruths distortions statistics that when an accurate but i do have some problems on i share with my colleagues on and share with my constituents my concerns they relate to what i would call the abuse of power i can't think of an area where a conservative or a moderate or a

liberal should be more concerned about the state of our government on september oh oh love and jam being called the commissioner of internal revenue to his office commissioner walters worrisome evidence of so called enemies lists which were mcgovern contributors and more government supporters and ordered the commissioner to audit those people the commissioner didn't wanna get those people resisted said that he would have to check with secretary shelves on september fifteen the president entered into a conversation with giant being that began a twenty seven minutes after five and lasted until seventeen minutes after sex we have a tape recording of that conversation up until six o'clock the other seventeen minute segment has not been produced according to a subpoena it's been subpoenaed by jaworski judge so wrecked there was requested by judge the worse my

jaworski the special prosecutor to a young listen to that seventeen sects seventeen minute segment is it that perhaps might not be relevant the judging is reconsideration the germ of that thirteen of the seventeen minutes were indeed relevant according to john dean's testimony which is not yet been released but will be released you will learn that the recording to john dean of age and he knows that that state is going to be made public that the president knew about this ordered on it was his impression and he knew about it for you and the president made some derogatory remarks about secretary showed some call them something like a candy yes i didn't send them over there to be a candy as enchanting was told to go back and if he needed any help to contact the president if there is anything that's going to end of fact adversely our democracy our individual freedoms and some issues of a sensitive agency like the irs or the fbi or the cia cia and it is tiny

little bit about water of watergate what concerns me about the watergate cover up on august twenty nine the president held a news conference where he stated that he had handled the department of justice the fbi i think it was the gao he referred to the banking and currency committee said that he had directed his own counsel sharon gain to investigate the watergate to determine if there was any white house involvement the truth of the matter is as far as we know anyway the evidence chanting had never reported to him had never been with the president the white house logs show that john dean's testimony as to the effect that he didn't even know about such a report until a president's press conference what was trending doing in the meantime well for one thing on june nineteenth he was meeting with mitchell magruder and martin at which meeting john magruder was told by jon mitchell the other have a fire to burn

some documents incriminating evidence that made on june twenty third they decided when when it was read ordered to them that there was some money involved that have perhaps been laundered in mexico that money that had been decreed what'd they do and the president knew about this get a hold of the cia to determine if perhaps the cia should enforce the the fbi not to pursue that because of covert activities for a while the cia agreed to that they did make an investigation they found there was absolutely nothing to hide they want back these still persisted and one of them not to interview witnesses that were relevant what do they do on june twenty eight the established and being an aunt and ehrlichman and haldeman there's evidence that they established a thong using the president's counsel called back to pay money and i don't care what that money was before i don't care whether you're called hush money or it was for defendants

the other listeners that then pat gray on july six the director of the fbi was so incensed that after a meeting with walter's he first call clark mcgregor and then the president call him and pat gray felt compelled to tell the president some of your top staff or mortally wounded new then we go into the period after that on september fifteen the president finally did meet jan being on the fifteenth president epic talking to holland congratulated him for plugging leaks and talked about containment and an hour something to the effect of cutting losses are battling it up or something like that then you're going to the game you're going to be an expert in march twenty first let me say that i don't think the president directed the payment of hush money and i don't think i don't think we can make that allegation let me tell you what happened the president on march twentieth ordered chanting

things were beginning to get a little hot the president on march twentieth order jan being to conduct a report another report this and the second being report he says so that's right so the president speaking tried to something general like i checked into this matter i can categorically based on my investigation the following haldeman is not involved in this that and the other thing mr golson did not do this list of songs so did not do this mr blanc did not do this right down on taking the most boring things if any further questions please let me now say the next morning jiang being advised john being advised the president that erlichman was implicated that halderman was implicated at magruder and porter have perjured themselves they chat being himself was implicated what did the president do at that point one afternoon i won't say what he said about the hush money we talked about the million dollars they talk about a hundred twenty thousand dollars it's important that we

get that right away as nick jenkins says it's important we send a signal a way for the president said well for christ's sake get it and there is another conversation as my friend from new jersey said which families that up in the air however but then later on that afternoon again the president referred to eight reportedly wanted being to write only this time the president had knowledge of who was allegedly involved and he says this i don't want to get all that expletive i'll say expletive deleted specific i'm thinking now and far more general terms having in mind the fact that the problem with a specific reporting is that this proves this one and that one and that one you just prove something you didn't do it all but if you make it rather general in terms of like your investigation indicates that this man did not ruin this man did not do at this man did not do it and so forth what happen after march twenty first the president ordered

champagne to go to camp david to make a report campaign could not make their report on september that the president had a press conference this was after everything a kind of blown out of prison in september of press conference went back to the john d reports and when it became apparent to me that john dean couldn't make the report i decided to general and john ehrlichman and this was smart march twenty second seventh i believe all what was the status of john ehrlichman at that point john ehrlichman have already been implicated in the watergate cover up and software giant being on the morning of march twenty first john ehrlichman denied that he had made a really it really made any investigation at that point then we have john dean blowing the whistle like going to be us attorneys on june eighth followed by magruder on june thirteenth than a rule i think on june fourteen finally said he said on june fourteen the jig is up silbert the us attorney paul henry peterson the head

of the criminal division and he said henry we have broken the watergate case henry peterson contacted kleindienst finally this began in the mid april meetings with henry peterson on what happened at those mid april meetings with henry peterson on april sixteen from one thirty nine three twenty five the president met with henry petersen at this meeting the president promised to treat as confidential any information disclosed by pierce and to the president the president emphasized the peterson your talk and only jimmy connors not going to be anybody else on the white house staff in other words i'm acting counsel and everything else the president suggested that only the only exception might be bit more when peterson express some reservation about information the president said let's just better keep it with me then in an afternoon conversation on that same day a telephone conversation when the president paul peterson again he said henry feel free to

comply and me i can in effect keep it confidential on all the rules of the grand jury what did he do at the information that henry peterson gave to him henry peterson was taking the place of findings as really the chief investigator in the watergate case peter the president on april seventeenth map we called a man who had been implicated again why information that was given to henry peterson and henry peterson had revealed it to the president and the president advised to that why haldeman it better get together with jun and map out some kind of a strategy on the money then there's a big deletion what the material believe it is then he comes back and says what about home back what is a callback an essay about the money he says joe halderman you'd better get ahold of called back and tell him that the rule is speaking

freely i just wonder myself i'm concerned about the president's actions not so much early mad about about the break in or what happened earlier time of the gentleman has expired i recognize the gentleman from missouri is a gemini you might think that calling in the mcmillian on the back side that is recognized for two minnesotans i think we are i think a gentleman through for yielding let me just try to finish very briefly it was shortly thereafter then on april twenty four and april twenty thirteen i believe on april twenty six that the president ordered halderman that the president ordered halderman to listen to certain pages that i think only he had haldeman new have been made in the white house told him and listened to tapes

that were made in february and march he reported to the president on april twenty six and he spent i think it was five hours with the president we've subpoenaed that tape because we think it's relevant and it's had support from both republicans and democrats and that's one of the tapes were holding was reporting to the president after spending two days listening to these tapes which we don't have i just i just can't help but wondering you know when you put all of this together and that kind of perspective how i am concerned and i'm seriously concerned i hope that the president i wish the president could do something and to absolve himself i wish it would come forward with information that we've subpoenaed i just i just am very very concerning to say one thing in the remaining minute some of my friends from illinois

i received all kinds of mail some some of my people say that the country cannot afford that we cannot afford to impeach a president let me say to my money these are ardent supporters and friends let me say to them i've spoken to countless others including many many young people and if the young people in this country think that we're gonna not camel listening fairly if we're not gonna really try to get to the truth you're going to see the most frustrated people almost turned out people were most disillusioned people and it's going to make the period of lbj in nineteen sixty eight nineteen sixty seven it's gonna make it look tame so i hope that we just keep our eye on trying to get to the truth have a challenge as fired and i recognize the gentleman from jury for rest of its thirteen minutes for general that they know i like the gemini fight my

distinguished colleague from illinois for his discussion about that history will record you receive the clearest explanation of this problem on the time of the gentleman from missouri and then i serve on this committee for ten years but i came to congress and never i've been prouder of this committee and the privilege of serving on it and i am during this period of its most supreme testing for weeks even months we've studied haven't heard what the season debate at the solemn question of impeachment the time has come for decisions for the delay is unjustified the time consuming task of impeachment must go forward should richard m nixon be found guilty of obstruction of justice yes judge richard m nixon be found guilty of abusing the positive office yes sir richard m nixon be found guilty of contempt and the plan to the congress and the courts yes and on the last charge he is a repeat offender

we're a great deal of a about the presumably grim consequences of impeachment and enlist public trial of people abided the government paralyzed nation disgraced but suppose the house should decide not to impeach this would have consequences too and they deserve a careful examination revealed on beach would be a decision as momentous as in between itself it would and could be interpreted as meaning that the congress is not like mr nixon has done anything toward impeachment it would alter the historic relationship of presidential power in the constitutional system of accountability for using that power our message to posterity of austerity would be that mr nixon at conceiving establish a new conception of presidential accountability and his successors could expect to inherit nixon's conception of inherent presidential authority and we'll and shared power with which he involved the presidency failure to impeach would be a vindication of a new theory

a presidential not gonna build any money would shrink from this crime prosecution responsibility shrinking from impeachment probably arises from remoteness of contemporary presidents from the difficulty of visualizing advances of this administration perhaps the situation's more easily can see they put in warhol a local firms a letter of robert the weeks in the ann arbor news that this well i think i would like to paraphrase it number one suppose your mayor approved a plan by what's the chief of police in your city of illegally at your phone open your mail burglarize your apartment your office or your house suppose you're meyer director jerome town police and fbi agents the capital of the local reporter covering city hall directed the fbi to investigate and newscaster for the local radio and tv stations suppose you're a mayor with no knowledge of a burglary from a local judge trying a case in which that knowledge is important suppose you're my are secretly taped conversations helen his office in your city all between himself and citizens like yourself

as well as public officials then when a confirmed court order required him to turn over nine of the states refusal they then reversed himself then announced to the tapes containing the most critically important material did not exist before you're my or tripoli's well while serving as mayor in your city suppose that your mare played back in owen comeback for several years ago the kind you can legally dubious deduction for turning over its official papers to the local historical society to pull your mayor directors usually use of the taxpayers' funds to make major improvement on to private homes in their support for mayor twice selected personally as mayor pro tem a man who had bribed delivered to him in city hall then resigned allegedly to avoid going to support your hair selected and supervise distrusted top officials of his administration and man who were indicted convicted or pleaded guilty including the city attorney the citizens of your town wouldn't be complacent

should we all cities elected officials to one standard of conduct but havel or less standard for the president inaction will say to the president and future presidents one of crackling element of improprieties will put up with in the white house the founding fathers wisely made impeachment constitute a remedy they did not want to make it easy to get rid of presidents but they were determined to make it possible if we was to restore the historic system of accountability of presidents the manger band and the kind of man that we do not hold mr nixon and his successor accountable except once every four years we license an imperial presidency usher in a new and i believe ominous time for our republic we transform the balance and character of constitutional order impeachment i have three with consequences refusal to impeach will have disastrous consequences the transcripts of the many is the president's image not a moral man surrounded by underlings who betrayed him that of an amoral man who compound his troubles by withholding more than a year the shocking truth about the

mass he and his administration were and he showed a lack of concern for morality a lack of concern for my principal a lack of commitment the ideal the public office make the transcripts a sickening exposure richard nixon and humorless to the point of being inhumane his devious is vacillating he is profane he's willing to be led a display dismaying gaps of knowledge is suspicious of his staff his loyalties normal is greatest concern is to create a record that will save himself and his administration that dedication to grant principles of americans have a right to expect from a president is missing from the transcripts i do not know how one of sound mind and read the transcription continue to think mr nixon appellate standards and dignity of the presidency which he proclaimed himself as a candidate in nineteen sixty nineteen sixty eight to nineteen seventy two and bob's here is not a question of democrat republican liberal or conservative on a conspiracy by his enemies to get the president

in the words of an old senatorial friend than presidential defender mr nixon took a principle role in a shabby immoral and disgusting performance this is a matter of right or are telling the truth or not telling the truth perhaps an all missouri saying is appropriate at the large love the liar need a hug you know there are the issues here are broader than criminality and individuals and that maybe indefensible and reprehensible without being criminal legal constitution parliamentary history shall unofficial may be removed