Impeachment Hearings: House Judiciary Committee, July 25, 1974
Impeachment Hearings: House Judiciary Committee, July 25, 1974
[00.14.14] [Chairman RODINO continues with his solemn address to conclude the round of general debate.] But beyond them, I want to applaud the members Of this committee my colleagues. They have demonstrated a capacity to work behind closed doors, if you will, for a period of time searching out the truth, belaboring and toiling and wrestling with the facts, without seeking acclamation, or applause of any sort, because there is none, at the end of the trail, except a sure knowledge and a sure reward that right will be done. And I believe that each of you is deserving of the highest accolade because you reflect upon this body, and especially the Judiciary Committee, the highest, and carry on in that great tradition of this body, notwithstanding those who would have criticized the, work of this committee, you have left no stain upon your effort. And I am sure that history will record that what you have done you will have done as a matter of conscience and conviction, worthy of the great responsibility that is yours and that IS ours, bringing, as I stated in my opening remarks, the collective wisdom of men and women, a total dedication, and recognizing the terrible and tremendous burden of having to make a decision which will be lasting and for all time, which will prove to the American people. And as I said on February 6 before the House of Representatives in Seeking authorization for This committee to pursue its inquiry, that whatever the result, whatever we conclude, we proceed with care and with fairness and -with decency and with honor, so that all Americans who come after us, will able to say: That was the right course. There was no other way. And I applaud each and every one of you. And I know that tomorrow when we consider the articles that were before us that we will search and try to find those articles that will truly deal with the impeachable offenses, on what this body has found based on the evidence and the facts, so that a recommendation having been made by this committee in a report being, Presented to the House of Representatives, we can justify what we have done. And on this basis, and on this note, let me say to you, that I am proud to be of you. This has to be and shall be one of the greatest experiences of my life, and as I said I revere the Presidency of the United States of America. I have revered all Presidents and I have searched within my heart and my conscience and searched out the facts and when I test the facts I find that the President of the United States, in accordance with the tests that I feel we must confront, I find that the President must be found wanting. And so tomorrow I shall urge, along with others, the adoption of articles of impeachment. I shall do so with a heavy heart because no man seeks to accuse or to find wanting the Chief Executive of this great country. But, we have had responsibility to meet, and as many of us have said and I Only echo the sentiments Of each of us, this has not been a responsibility that we sought, but it has been one imposed upon us and I hope, and trust and pray, that what we do will for all time be that which has been right so that our country may survive not only this test but tests for all time. And with this, I declare this meeting recessed until 11 o'clock tomorrow morning. [00.21.37] [wide view of committee room as members stand to leave] DUKE begins to summarize the days events in voiceover [00.22.19--camera pullback to show LEHRER and DUKE in studio, view of committee room projected on screen] DUKE continues to summarize the hearings, saying that a clear majority appears ready to vote ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT against NIXON, with only ten members, all REPUBLICANS, indicating that they will not vote for the articles. Given the number of REPUBLICANS voting for impeachment, DUKE says that it makes the situation on the full HOUSE vote look less favorable for NIXON. LEHRER agrees with DUKE, saying that the only questions left are the final vote and what the exact content of the final Articles will be. Also, a crucial point is that the television coverage may influence public opinion in some ways, significantly that most of the Representatives are no longer anonymous figures to the public [00.25.33]