Impeachment Hearings: House Judiciary Committee, July 29, 1974 (1/2)
Impeachment Hearings: House Judiciary Committee, July 29, 1974 (1/2)
[00.49.01] Mr. SANDMAN. Mr. Chairman? The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman from New Jersey, Mr. Sandman. Mr. SANDMAN. I am in an uncanny position, Mr. -. Chairman because I can't figure out, as I couldn't yesterday, whether or not the proponent of the motion to strike really wants that motion carried. Now. if he does, he has my assistance, and I know a lot of other people, will give him their assistance. Now, before I comment I would like to hear from the gentleman from Texas. Do you really want to strike paragraph 1 ? Let tile know how I should proceed. Will the gentleman from Texas please answer? Mr. BROOKS. I would be pleased to answer. I thought I had made clear to my distinguished friend from New Jersey that in the Interests of debate. of getting the facts about, just what happened to the IRS, how it was Used, -who told them to do it, -what they did, that I- thought that, we ought to have this motion so that the people of this country and so this Committee can fully evaluate just what happened and I want you to have every advantage of a full 20 minutes to discuss why it should he Included. Mr. SANDMAN. That is fine. but I am still asking wanting to know, do you want your motion passed? Mr. BROOKS. Well. to be candid about it, when you offer a motion for debate purposes you are, not necessarily confined to wanting it Passed and I certainly do--- Mr. SANDMAN. . Oh, well, then--stop using my Valuable time. The public now knows what you are up to, Mr. BROOKS. Glad to give you that time, Mr. Sandman. Mr. SANDMAN. I AM not going to hand you any more of that valuable time because it is obvious 'that this is a game. In fact, we have been Involved in quite a, few games here. and you aren't any more serious about striking this article than my friend from Alabama was yesterday in striking any of the articles that he tried to strike. I'm, mindful of the fact that they tell me we have about a 20-percent audience which is about 44 million people and it gives exposure and maybe you can convince them with some of your generalities. That is the purpose behind all of this. I know it. And 44 million people know It, Make no mistake about it. Now, I would like to yield some time to some other members of this side and I would like to Yield to the gentleman from Indiana, Mr. Dennis. Mr. DENNIS. Thank you, Mr. Sandman. I would like to say, Mr. Chairman---- Mr. SANDMAN. Four minutes. Ml-. DENNIS. [continuing]. That if I felt that the evidence here substantiated that the Internal Revenue Service has been misused and abused for Improper Political or discriminatory purposes, I take a very dim view of that myself. I would do so even though abuse, misuse. and discrimination has not been entirely unknown in Past administrations because that would not, constitute a defense now even though nobody bothered to fool with it then/ I believe, for instance, that in his diaries the late Drew Pearson says that the late Harry S. Truman turned the, IRS loose on him at one time, and that doesn't make it any better if it was done now but I think it is ,I good thing to bear in mind that we have a certain amount of, obvious hypocrisy in these proceedings from time to time. Now, the truth of the matter is that there, really isn' ally evidence connected with the President again, if you please, which we are Sort of sloughing over here. than the, President did anything out of the, way about the IRS at a11. The only thing they can even attempt to cite. Is the conversation of September 15, and as a matter of fact, the President doesn't refer to the IRS in that conversation. He says, "We have not used the power in this first 4 Years as you know. We have never used it. We haven used the Bureau--- that Is- the FBI--"and we. haven't used the Justice Department." He doesn't talk about the' IRS, as a, matter of fact, but the interesting thing is that all that conversation is talk anyway. Now, it, is not good talk. It would be damaging talk if there was something to be shown that. the, President ever followed up on it. But I haven't seen anything in this record where the President did follow up On it. The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman from New Jersey has used 5 minutes . Mr. SANDMAN. I reserve the balance of my time and request that Brooks take up the cudgel again. The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman from Texas is recognized. Mr. BROOKS. MR. Chairman, I would yield 2 1/2 to minutes to Congressman, to the gentleman, Mr. Danielson from California. The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman is recognized.