Impeachment Hearings: House Judiciary Committee, July 27, 1974 (1/2)
Impeachment Hearings: House Judiciary Committee, July 27, 1974 (1/2)
[00.42.25] Mr. DANIELSON. So what do they say? They are talking about Herb Kalmbach, and there was a much used person if I ever saw one. If anybody who heard his testimony did not have his heart go out to him, a man who was used, abused, from one end to the other, but Herb had been called in to raise the money for these burglars and the President is a little bit worried. The Los Angeles Times had been running stories on Kalmbach and so forth, and his skin is getting a little thin perhaps. But Dean I said, "No, Herb's tough now, He is ready. He is going to go through. He is hunkered down and he is ready to handle it, so I am not worried." The President: "Yeah. Oh, well, it will be hard for him. This is the President. "It will be hard for him because it will get out about Hunt," What will get out about Hunt? What else was there except the payment up to that time of something like $200,000, The President said "I suppose the big thing is the financing transaction. They will go after that, how the money got down to the Bank of Mexico and so forth that kind of stuff." And, of course, Dean concurred. Now, in February 1973--this is not March 21. You know, on -March 21 the President admits he was finally told all about it. On March 21 dawn broke. All at once he was told about Watergate. But here on February 8, through some type of prognostication, he is discussing the Hunt financing transaction in which his good friend and loyal friend of many years, Herb Kalmbach, was used to raise money. Let's move along a little ways. On March 21, and I am not going to repeat this conversation, but on March 21 the President of the United States, speaking from the "Oval Office, tells Haldeman and John Dean that John "had the right plan before the election, he contained it all, and now we have got to have a new plan from here on out." That is March 21. And you say the President did not-, know what he Was talking about? Then again on March 22, just the next day, after having known, after having known about these, activities since at least -June 17, and out of his own mouth having known about them since June--September 15, he is talking about whom? His chief executive officer for law enforcement, the Attorney General of the United States; Richard Nixon, the President, talking to the Attorney General of the United States. Mr. Kleindienst and he did not tell him one word about this illegal activity. The CHAIRMAN. The time Of the gentleman from California has expired. Mr. FROEHLICH. Mr. Chairman? The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Froehlich. Mr. FROEHLICH. Thank You, Mr. Chairman. Members of this committee. when we adjourned late last night, thought we had some, type of vague understanding that the proposers of the Article of Impeachment, members of the staff and other interested committee members would get together possibly if necessary take all day today the to work out the specifics and details of the subparagraphs of article I. But as is so Often the case in this committee, the signals change as the moments go by and this has not happened. But I understand now that this is a backup article, Mr. Doar. There are some specifications in back of the subparagraphs that have been prepared by staff and made available to certain members of this committee. Is that, correct? Mr. DOAR. Some Of the---there is back-up material on some of the-- We, are working on all of the paragraphs. Mr. FROEHLICH. Well, when these articles are prepared, can they be made available to all members of this committee and to the minority so that responses can be prepared by those that want to prepare responses? Mr. DOAR. Well. I certainly--these were prepared at the request of particular members, at the request of the chairman, and I presented them to the chairman, but certainly it seems to me that this material should be available to all members of the committee I think that--I have no question about it. Mr. FROEHLICH. Would you direct. Your staff to make those available to all members of the committee that want them and to the minority staff immediately? Mr. DOAR. Certainly I will. Mr. FROEHLICH. Thank you. Mr. LOTT. Would you yield? Mr. FROEHLICH. I yield. Mr. LOTT. I thank the gentleman for yielding. I am quite interested in the various and repeated mentions of ashtray being thrown across the room, by the gentleman from California, by Mr. Waldie and now by the gentleman from Pennsylvania. So, Mr. Chairman, I may want to reserve a few minutes at some later time to offer an amendment to insure that we include the President's throwing of an ashtray as an impeachable offense. I do not understand the significance of this ashtray and why being repeatedly mentioned. -Now, I found the gentleman's statement from Maine most interesting and very informative, but there are several items as we went along that I feel could be rebutted. If I could have the advantage of having this material and the specifics, perhaps from Mr. Doar, it would very helpful so that we, can debate the specifics and the points, in Support of these various sections. I urge the committee staff to give us this opportunity. In many areas that were mentioned I think again it is the aides' actions that are being referred to not the President's. So I reemphasize again, the line has got to be, drawn to the President and we cannot impeach him on the basis of his aides' actions. I thank the gentleman for yielding. 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