Impeachment Hearings: House Judiciary Committee, July 26, 1974 (2/2)
Impeachment Hearings: House Judiciary Committee, July 26, 1974 (2/2)
[01.16.25] Mr. WIGGINS. I thank my colleague for yielding. The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman has 4 minutes remaining . Mr. DENNIS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. WIGGINS. I just want to conclude two points that I did not consider when I had the time. The press conference has been criticized I zed as a statement by the President of the United States lying to the American people because he said there was no White House involvement. Now, the only involvement at that time known to the President possibly at attributable to the White House was Mr. If Hunt. We all understand that Mr. Liddy did not work for the White House and the facts are that Mr. Hunt did not work for the White House either. Now, I know that there has been some dispute in the, evidence as to that, but the, weight of the evidence, and if we are going to go by any standard of Clear and convincing, the clear and convincing is that he in fact, worked for the Committee To Re-Elect. I want to pass from that to one final observation which disturbs my friend from Illinois, and unfortunately he is not here, but he contended that Mr. Ehrlichman lied to the Attorney General about the lack of involvement of Mr. Dean and Mr. Haldeman and himself when he reported to the Attorney General in a telephone conversation the 28th./ I have before me exactly what he said to the Attorney General, and he said it in the presence of the President of the United States. This was what Mr. Ehrlichman said. [QUOTED] "OK -now, the President said for me to say this to you. The best information he had, and it Is that neither Dean, nor Haldeman, nor Colson nor I, nor anybody in the White House had any prior knowledge of the burglary. He said that he's counting on you to provide him with any information to the contrary, if it turns up, and you Just contact him direct. Now, as far as the Committee To Re-Elect is concerned, he said that serious Questions are being raised with regard to Mitchell, and he would likewise want you to communicate to him any evidence or inference from evidence, on that Subject." [END QUOTE] Now, the question is, did he lie to Mr. Kleindienst when he said that? You recall what I testified to just a few moments ago when the President said that he had cold, flat denials from these people that they were not involved. and that Dean told him as God as his witness, he was not involved. That is precisely the information the President related to Mr. Kleindienst the Attorney General, and I ask you, did the President lie on that occasion? Did he mislead on that occasion? The answer is, he did not. Mr. COHEN. Would the gentleman yield? Mr. WIGGINS. I Will yield. It is not, my time to yield. The time is Mr. Dennis'. That is all the points I want to make. Mr. DENNIS. Mr. Chairman, I reserve my time. The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman will either use his time now, he cannot reserve his time as he has 1 minute remaining. . Nfl'. COHEN. Would the gentleman yield? Mr. DENNIS. Well, I will yield Mr. Cohen .30 seconds of my minute. Mr. COHEN. I thank the gentleman for yielding. The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman is recognized for 30 seconds. Mr. COHEN. I would like to address a question to the. gentleman from California about the President's statements to Assistant Attorney General Petersen and ask his opinion as to whether or not, having read all of the transcripts and information presented to this committee ,is to whether or not the President was correctly stating the facts when he told Mr. Petersen to stay away from the Ellsberg matter, the break-in because that was a matter of national security? Mr. DENNIS. I yield to the gentleman from California. Mr. WIGGINS. I would say absolutely, yes; without equivocation, that was indeed, a national security matter, and the overwhelming evidence is that this entire operation had national security overtones. Mr. COHEN. The matter for which Mr. Colson pleaded guilty----- Mr. DENNIS. I have not yielded any more, and I will say that if the gentleman thinks those are fault, write them in here, and we will find out. Mr. COHEN. The gentleman does. The CHAIRMAN. The time of the gentleman from Indiana has expired. The gentleman from 'Maryland, Mr. Sarbanes, is recognized for 5 minutes. [01.20.52]