Watergate Impeachment Hearings House Judiciary Committee, July 29, 1974. Robert Drinan (D -Massachusetts).
Watergate Impeachment Hearings House Judiciary Committee, July 29, 1974. Robert Drinan (D -Massachusetts).
Watergate Impeachment Hearings House Judiciary Committee, July 29, 1974. Robert Drinan (D -Massachusetts). Robert Drinan (D Massachusetts). Mr. Chairman, this article is so overwhelming that I do not think that it s an exaggeration to say that history will judge this as comparable to the moral rebellion centuries ago at Runnymede. They were our legal and moral ancestors because they revolted against tyranny. But I want to pay tribute tonight to two men who made this possible. I am honored and humbled because these two men happen to be my constituents. One is a Democrat and one is a Republican. And I speak about Archibald Cox and Elliot Richardson. When they followed their own conscience, 3 million citizens wired their Congressmen and this inquiry began. These two good men never realized that their decision not to submit, not to go along, would force every Member of Congress and every American citizen to make the same moral decision. They were the first to see the repeated abuses of the constitutional rights of citizens on which this committee is to act tonight. Mr. Cox, the former Solicitor General of the United States, distinguished professor and author, he would not back down, he would not become a part of the coverup. And Elliot Richardson, the former Attorney General of Massachusetts, Secretary of HEW and Defense, he gave up his entire career rather than tarnish his soul and permit himself to be a part of the coverup. I pay tribute to these two men. Without their courage, the victory for justice which we witness here tonight could never have happened. And, Mr. Chairman, I hope their courage-will continue to be contagious. I yield back the balance of my time.