Coming up next, a 1988 interview. Ith congressman peter rodino he discusses his experience as bringuse judiciary chair the impeachment hearings for president nixon. Discussing how he was chosen to leave the inquiry. Rep. Rodino there were those who were a little concerned that speaker albert, who had not made , but who realize that impeachment was in the offing, certainly was considering, thinking about it, felt,ere were those who my god, if it goes to congressman rodino, congressman ray dino is one who has been working in the background, has never got out front, you know and then out there. There were those who wanted to create an Ad Hoc Committee and these speaker designate at that committee toad hoc conduct the inquiry. On aer albert talked to me number of occasions. He had great confidence in me and he placed his confidence in. E and notwithstanding that fact, there were those who, even after a became the chairman who were on taking another course of action. I remember the attempt on the part of some to delay the of jerry ford to be Vice President , thinking that possibly, you know, we might delay the confirmation of jerry ford to be Vice President gerry ford to be Vice President and proceed with the impeachment of Richard Nixon. Impeachment make the and and there would be a vacancy in the vice presidency and spyro agnew had been compelled to resign as well spiro agnew had been compelled to resign as well and carl albert would succeed to the presidency, which was a thought. To albert, and i made him but doong with you went along and at the time you were wildly acknowledged to have done a pregood job. Is there anything you would have done different . Rep. Rodino no, i dont think so. At the time i wondered why it was considered so extreme area. It was just petri genome doing what he believed him. Bruce you said you would not treat it like a grand jury. You would allow the president to have his council president. Was that the fundamental decision for you . Rep. Rodino that was the decision i consider to be fair. I felt it was tremendously important that the American People perceive perceive the process to be fair. I have been studying impeachment and whatever scholarship, research i have done demonstrated clearly it was cumbersome and there is no actual formal procedure to follow. There was only the impeachment of Andrew Johnson in the 1860s, which was something i wanted to avoid because it was political. I wanted to do something and i knew the American People the american public, considering this was the impeachment of a president of the united states, man who is going to be tried if you will, and the determination would be made whether he was fit to continue thisat office and if not, has happened once in the history of our country and as i say, it was a bad precedent. I wanted to ensure that the American People would view what fair, is something grounded in fairness and justice and something we can look at and say, by golly, this is what the constitution ordains. Were you prepared for the Media Attention . Rep. Rodino no. When i was designated in speaker alberts press conference, there was this new world focusing in on me and first of all, i was me as i am and said i had hoped this was something that never might have happened, but it was andsponsibility responsibility i was prepared to discharge, as awesome as that task was. Bruce you became an household world you became a household word. How did that change her life . Outside, i on the suppose, knowing people rodino, who had always been more or less in the background, i was in the righting the civil rights laws, but i was content to because i am interested in achieving goals, not being out there, out front. Verys my style and i feel confident about it being the right way to go in comfortable about it. So when suddenly all of this developed, it was something new and novel to me. A private much person. I dont go looking for the limelight. I dont go saying things i believe are unnecessary to say. Be more to pursue. When the media wanted me i was available, so long as i felt it was in the public interest. What is your feeling at the time of president fords pardon of Richard Nixon. One sunday morning i was back in new jersey with my wife at that time, who has since mysed away, and motherinlaw told me the white house is just called. To be one of the the president did want to talk with you. The president wanted to advise you he was going to issue a pardon. As soon as i heard that, i thought to myself, my god. Prison for his lost his mind or lost his cool or maybe Richard Nixon is about ready to die or something has occurred that has caused him to make this decision. That president ford, who is a dear friend of mine, earlier on he had stated he would were he would wait until the process went down the line. There was this complete investigation as you know, the special prosecutor, leon jaworski, still investigating at that time and i thought that was what he was going to do. He was asked whether he would issue a pardon and he stated he knew it was within his absolute power to do so, but he was going to wait, and i interpreted that to mean he would wait for the process, and wait for the prosecutor to proceed against been annixon, who had unindicted coconspirator at that time. But president ford, when i spoke with him later and confronted him with this and told him about my disappointment, he said, he felt the country had been traumatized already, had undergone a very, very serious and difficult time and i said, well, i know. But the people felt the system worked. And that government was equal and just for everyone and that no one was above the law and i said, i think this is going to dampen that feeling and i think its a terrible mistake. He felt otherwise. Have you painted a scenario in your mind about what might have happened had there been no pardon . The rodino that stretching imagination, but youve got to remember Richard Nixon did resign. He resigns because he recognized that the committee on the judiciary had issued these and ifs of impeachment people will remember, and scholars, i am sure do know in the report wasof unanimous that Richard Nixon had obstructed justice era that was criminalon of the code. All of the republicans said , whichin righting this was a pretty severe indictment. I felt that would have been a thatg enough indictment presented to a jury that they might have found that Richard Nixon was indeed guilty of those offenses and found him guilty. They may haves felt all he did was make a he had and known can say violated the law as such, but he did, nonetheless. He did resign from office under a terrible crowd. We were preparing to go to the house of representatives with the articles of impeachment. We were preparing to assure that the public would know what Richard Nixon was all about and what he had done, prepare them so the whole world wouldve known once those tapes were played over the air as well, not only for the congress, but for all the people. What is your view last question of watergate, what is your view of the rehabilitation of Richard Nixon . I am all for rehabilitation. I believe a man does penance and there is redemption. However have to wonder whether or not we dont paint the wrong picture. I think all of us have got to remember it was an unfortunate and very, very tragic episode where a president did abuses office shame that abuse his power, did shame that office. Thats why we wrote the articles of impeachment. He misused that office. Sure. , fine. Itation i would not even have wanted to see Richard Nixon found guilty, but its another thing, however to try to repaint history. Everyk that while he has right to do what he has been ,oing and i applaud him nonetheless, i do not think we should repaint history. Next, former house member of elizabeth holtzman, a democrat, recounts her experience during the impeachment of Richard Nixon. The interview was conducted by the Nixon Library director in 2007. We are here on april 5, 2007. Were taping this in new york city. Thank you for joining us. Glad to do this