Impeachment Hearings: House Judiciary Committee, July 27, 1974
Impeachment Hearings: House Judiciary Committee, July 27, 1974
[00.27.40] Mr. SARBANES, Will the gentleman yield? Mr. HOGAN. I yield to the gentleman from Maryland. Mr. SARBANES. Mr. Chairman, I would like to say that I think, as my colleague from Maryland has stated, that, these are helpful and valuable perfecting amendments. I appreciate the legal scholarship that has gone into these amendments 1 de think they help to improve the, proposition that is before us, and I would hope that the members would recognize and accept these amendments to the substitute. Mr. HOGAN. Chairman , 1 move the previous question on my amendments. The CHAIRMAN. The question is on the amendments offered by the from Maryland, and I understand that these are being offered All those in favor of the amendments, Please say aye [Chorus of "ayes]. The CHAIRMAN. All those opposed? [No response.] The CHAIRMAN. And the amendment is agreed to. I recognize the gentleman from California, Mr. Danielson. Mr. DANIELSON. Mr. Chairman, 1 have an amendment at the desk. The CHAIRMAN. The clerk will read the amendment. The CLERK. [reading] Amendment to article I offered by Mr. Danielson. On page 2, subsection 4 strike the word "and" in line 3 and strike the semicolon after the words "Special Prosecution Force" in line 4 and add at the end of line 4 the following : and congressional committees; Mr. DANIELSON. Mr. Chairman, the thrust of subparagraph 4. as is apparent, relates to the interference by the President, or endeavoring to interfere with the conduct of investigations by the Department of Justice the FBI the Office of Watergate Special Prosecution Force. I should like to add to those agents Congressional committees, have in mind specifically the House Committee on Banking and Currency under the chairmanship of Hon. Wright Patman. You will recall, a couple of days ago, during the early stages of our debate, I quoted at some length from the September 15, 1972, tape transcript of the conversation in the President's Oval Office in which was apparent that the President, his Chief of Staff, Mr. Haldeman, and Mr. Dean were planning on how they could possibly prevent the House Committee on Banking and Currency from conducting investigating into the whereabouts, the source, the transmission of certain that -were found in the possession of the people arrested in the Watergate on. June 17. The plan was rather elaborate. The President first offered todo so himself, and then he suggested that Mr. Ehrlichman or Mr. Mitchell or some other person contact and enlist the aid of Gerald Ford, who at that time was the minority floor leader and various other Members of the House of Representatives, to prevail upon Mr. Patman to to desist from conducting his investigation. In all fairness, I want to point out that Mr. Dean's testimony later was that the Members of the House who were being prevailed upon to in turn prevail upon Mr. Patman were not aware of the fact that they were being used for this purpose. The guise of the argument wa's that what if the trial forthcoming of' the burglars and maybe. I shold say the unlawful entrants, that a congressional hearing into their activities, might prejudice their case, and might interfere with their civil rights. This was explored at some length. I do not wish to reiterate it here because you have all heard it. In addition, they had a plan whereby they were to contact Mr. Rothblatt, who was the attorney for four or five of the defendants, and Mr. Bittman, who was the attorney for or Mr. Hunt, and have them in turn call upon Mr. Patman and urge that he not. conduct the investigation because it might interfere with their clients' civil rights, Other testimony before this committee is that Mr. Bittman acknowledges that he was contacted and was requested to get in touch with Mr. Patman, but that he declined to do so. Records of the, House Committee on Banking and Currency reflect that there was a, letter from Mr. Rothblatt, making the same argument. Carrying on, 1 have also in mind the Senate Select Committee on Campaign Activities. I might add going back, that the Banking and Currency Committee was not able, due, to these efforts, to muster enough votes to pass a, resolution to conduct the investigation, and the investigation was postponed. The fear in the minds of the. President, Mr. Haldeman, and Mr. Dean while they talked in the Oval Office was that if Wright Patman was able to issue subpenas and call in the -witnesses, he. might uncover almost anything. It was a can of worms and they didn't know what"" might happen if Patman were given a chance to conduct the investigation he wanted. Their fear was the disclosure of the fact that the $3,200 in new consecutive numbered bills found at the Watergate did in fact come through a Florida bank account, could be traced back to a Minnesota donor that had been laundered in some kind of a operation down Mexico. [00.33.38]