Impeachment Hearings: House Judiciary Committee, July 26, 1974 (1/2)
Impeachment Hearings: House Judiciary Committee, July 26, 1974 (1/2)
Watergate Impeachment Hearings. House Judiciary Committee, July 26, 1974
Impeachment Hearings: House Judiciary Committee, July 26, 1974 (1/2)
49.38 Peter Rodino (D New Jersey). I recognize the gentleman from Ohio, Mr. Latta. Delbert Latta (R Ohio). Thank you, Mr. Chairman. As a reward for your patience, I shall not take my full 5 minutes. I take this time to ask a couple of questions of Mr. Doar. If we do not strike this item, it is your intention, then to leave it in these general terms and to go to the statements of information for the details? John Doar, attorney. I'm sorry, I didn't understand the question. Delbert Latta (R Ohio). Is it your intention if the item is not stricken as proposed by Mr. Sandman, is it your intention then to go to the statements of information for the details that will have to be spelled out specifically in the charge the President? John Doar, attorney. No; Mr. Latta, it would not be my intention to do that. Delbert Latta (R Ohio). Where will you get the information? John Doar, attorney. You would have the statements in a report that would go along with the article to the Floor. And in the report yon would be keyed to the summary of information that you were furnished last week. And that in turn would also be keyed back to the statements of information. But what you would have, as I would envision it, you would have a report that was maybe 15 or 20 pages long that would summarize these facts, these ultimate facts and relevant facts. And that would be keyed if someone wanted further information to the summary of information that was about 150 pages long and had it all keyed to statements of information where you could see the documentary, the evidence, the testimony, if you needed to see that.
Impeachment Hearings: House Judiciary Committee, July 26, 1974 (1/2)
51.30 Delbert Latta (R Ohio). Where would the President have to go to find out the charges being made against him specifically? John Doar, attorney. Well, the President would have the Article or Articles of Impeachment. Delbert Latta (R Ohio). Which would be general. John Doar, attorney. Which would be general. The President would have the report of the committee. The President would have the summary of information. And the President would have the statements of information. Delbert Latta (R Ohio). He would have to go to all of those? John Doar, attorney. Well it isn't a question of reading them all. They would all be keyed so you could get from one to the other very easily. It is not, it is not a difficult job of getting in and out of this material if you have the proper Index.
Impeachment Hearings: House Judiciary Committee, July 26, 1974 (1/2)
52.14 Delbert Latta (R Ohio). So what you are saying, then, you are going to have a report in addition to the statements of information. John Doar, attorney. Well, there would be a committee report. That is my understanding what the Chairman has said. Delbert Latta (R Ohio). And you wouldn't be incorporating all 38 or 39 statements of information in that report. John Doar, attorney. Oh, no. Delbert Latta (R Ohio). But the President would still have to go to those statements of information to get the details of the charges being mad against him specifically. John Doar, attorney. Not the details of the charges, but if he had Delbert Latta (R Ohio). Let's get the specifics. John Doar, attorney. No, the specifics would be in the, there would be more specifics in the report. If he was, you could be more specific if you looked at the summary of information that we furnished last week.
Impeachment Hearings: House Judiciary Committee, July 26, 1974 (1/2)
52.58 Delbert Latta (R Ohio). Well, then the question is how would the President know the charges being made against him if we left this charge "making false or misleading statements to lawfully authorized investigative officers and employees of the United States." Now you just outline how he would know what those charges are so he can defend himself against them? John Doar, attorney. Well Delbert Latta (R Ohio). He would go then to the report from this document. John Doar, attorney. He would go to the report, and if the report, then he would look at the summary of information. That is the document we furnished, one notebook. Then in the one notebook that s keyed to the statement of information. He could go to that and the actual testimony, for example, or the statement that a particular person made, or the press release, or whatever else was relevant on that subject. That is not unusual with respect to modern civil or criminal practice. Delbert Latta (R Ohio). It might not be unusual, but in cases, in criminal court these days we don't 38 or 39 volumes of statements of information. And I would just like the American people to know what we are talking about. (To demonstrate, Latta piles the Statements of Information, each the size of a phonebook, on top of each other on the table) Peter Rodino (D New Jersey). The time of the gentleman has expired. [Laughter] Delbert Latta (R Ohio). I don't believe they need any more time, Mr. Chairman.