the key to understanding richard nixon is that richard nixon was never self-confident that he could easily win a national election. he had left the 1960 election, which he lost narrowly to john f. kennedy, with bitterness. in a sense, the election had been stolen from him. this allowed the demons that he always had within him to play during elections. it s about lust for power and absence of morality. it was all about holding on to power. no one can find out about this, whatever it takes. when the president does it, that means that it is not illegal. i told the american people i did not trade arms for hostages. there will not be a cover-up. there will not be an abuse of power in this office. when you have a president who thinks he can do anything he develops weapons of mass destruction. i just want 11,780 votes. and that s really when you reach a tipping point in a democracy. that s how dictators come to power. within hours of the arrests at the waterg
national election. we had left the 1960 election, which he lost narrowly to john f. kennedy with bitterness. in a sense, the election had been stolen from him. this allowed the demons that he always had within him to play during elections. it s about lust for power and absence of morality. it was all about holding on to power. no one can find out about this, whatever it takes. when the president does it, that means that it is not illegal. i told the american people i did not trade arms for hostages. there will not be a cover-up. there will not be an abuse of power in this office. when you have a president who thinks he can do anything he develop weapons of mass destruction. i just want 11,780 votes. and that s really when you reach a tipping point in a democracy. that s how dictators come to power. . within hours of the arrests at the watergate, the nixon white house started covering up. i was the desk officer of the cover-up. i get the information and g
what group might be willing, or against to vote impeachment, who might come that morning. met jim mann and talked to him for the first time. waldon flowers and talked to him time.e first and caldwell butler and we met at that point and said is there we really allthat of us could agree on. either an constitute process, abuse of say, and we went through all of the evidence that pretty convincing knew think at that point i who was voting for and who least their inclination and we went public respectivey with our speeches. you were a 34-year-old from maine and a republican so a member of your by party facing impeachment a committee you served on. it was not a happy moment. distressed through the. i knew it would be the most beortant decision i would called upon to make. i tried to be as well prepared as i could. the previous six years, three as a prosecutor, three as a defense attorney so my focus and analyzinge the evidence without regard to oritical affiliation hadisan affi
which each member had to face up to his or her responsibilities, i think that came through as i was listening to it. thank you their insights into this time period from 40 years ago. here s more from 1974, the house judiciary committee. i recognize the gentle lady from texas, ms. jordan, for the purpose of general debate, not to exceed 15 minutes. thank you. i join in thanking you for giving the junior members of this committee the glorious opportunity of sharing the pain of this inquiry. mr. chairman, you are a strong man. it has not been easy, but we have tried as best we can to give you as much assistance as possible. earlier today, we heard the beginning of the preamble to the constitution of the united states, we, the people. it is a very eloquent beginning. but when the document was completed in 1787, i was not included in that we, the people. i felt for many years that george washington and alexander hamilton just left me out by mistake. but through the proce
me begin by saying that you, mr. chairman, i think, in a rather difficult assignment although i haven t agreed with you on many occasions, i think he would ve handled herself very well. i can say for the most members of the committee, that during the six months, the seven weeks of looking through the 38 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. leaks,badly about the the selective leaks, some of which i think the newspapers made a mistake in playing. i know they have a job to get the news. let me say, mr. chairman, i used to like to be on the house judiciary committee when we were worried about legal reform juvenile: quincy. delinquency. trying to improve things that needed improving. i m about to reconsider my assignment, not a we have had amnesty, abortion, impeachment, and now a bomb threat. those say that i m one of who has agonized over this particular inquiry. i