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Impeachment Hearings: House Judiciary Committee, July 25, 1974
[00.14.14] [Chairman RODINO continues with his solemn address to conclude the round of general debate.] But beyond them, I want to applaud the members Of this committee my colleagues. They have demonstrated a capacity to work behind closed doors, if you will, for a period of time searching out the truth, belaboring and toiling and wrestling with the facts, without seeking acclamation, or applause of any sort, because there is none, at the end of the trail, except a sure knowledge and a sure reward that right will be done. And I believe that each of you is deserving of the highest accolade because you reflect upon this body, and especially the Judiciary Committee, the highest, and carry on in that great tradition of this body, notwithstanding those who would have criticized the, work of this committee, you have left no stain upon your effort. And I am sure that history will record that what you have done you will have done as a matter of conscience and conviction, worthy of the great responsibility that is yours and that IS ours, bringing, as I stated in my opening remarks, the collective wisdom of men and women, a total dedication, and recognizing the terrible and tremendous burden of having to make a decision which will be lasting and for all time, which will prove to the American people. And as I said on February 6 before the House of Representatives in Seeking authorization for This committee to pursue its inquiry, that whatever the result, whatever we conclude, we proceed with care and with fairness and -with decency and with honor, so that all Americans who come after us, will able to say: That was the right course. There was no other way. And I applaud each and every one of you. And I know that tomorrow when we consider the articles that were before us that we will search and try to find those articles that will truly deal with the impeachable offenses, on what this body has found based on the evidence and the facts, so that a recommendation having been made by this committee in a report being, Presented to the House of Representatives, we can justify what we have done. And on this basis, and on this note, let me say to you, that I am proud to be of you. This has to be and shall be one of the greatest experiences of my life, and as I said I revere the Presidency of the United States of America. I have revered all Presidents and I have searched within my heart and my conscience and searched out the facts and when I test the facts I find that the President of the United States, in accordance with the tests that I feel we must confront, I find that the President must be found wanting. And so tomorrow I shall urge, along with others, the adoption of articles of impeachment. I shall do so with a heavy heart because no man seeks to accuse or to find wanting the Chief Executive of this great country. But, we have had responsibility to meet, and as many of us have said and I Only echo the sentiments Of each of us, this has not been a responsibility that we sought, but it has been one imposed upon us and I hope, and trust and pray, that what we do will for all time be that which has been right so that our country may survive not only this test but tests for all time. And with this, I declare this meeting recessed until 11 o'clock tomorrow morning. [00.21.37] [wide view of committee room as members stand to leave] DUKE begins to summarize the days events in voiceover [00.22.19--camera pullback to show LEHRER and DUKE in studio, view of committee room projected on screen] DUKE continues to summarize the hearings, saying that a clear majority appears ready to vote ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT against NIXON, with only ten members, all REPUBLICANS, indicating that they will not vote for the articles. Given the number of REPUBLICANS voting for impeachment, DUKE says that it makes the situation on the full HOUSE vote look less favorable for NIXON. LEHRER agrees with DUKE, saying that the only questions left are the final vote and what the exact content of the final Articles will be. Also, a crucial point is that the television coverage may influence public opinion in some ways, significantly that most of the Representatives are no longer anonymous figures to the public [00.25.33]
Impeachment Hearings: House Judiciary Committee, July 25, 1974
[00.25.33] LEHRER calls on Caroline LEWIS at the Rayburn Office Building [LEWIS shown on projection in studio beside LEHRER] LEWIS remarks that the intensity of feeling has increased, and a great degree of respect for the Constitution was expressed, and that no Representative seemed to really want to be in the position of making a decision. Points to a highlight of the day as Rep BUTLER, R-VA, giving an impassioned speech in favor of impeachment, even though conceding that it might hurt his re-election efforts. [cut to DUKE and LEHRER in studio] LEHRER introduces guest lega analysts VAN ALSTYNE and KRAMER KRAMER comments that most side issues and allegatins have fallen away to leave as the core of the ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT the charges of OBSTRUCTIN OF JUSTICE and ABUSE OF POWER, with the emphasis on the Constitution being so strong among almost all speakers. VAN ALSTYNE remarks that there was more agreement on the committee than he thought about the issues of burden of proof, and standards of evidence, and that a majority seemed to feel that impeachment required at least a taint of criminality, if not provable statutory criminal offenses. Agrees on a professional basis with those conclusions. Says that the side issues of Tax Fraud, the ITT affair, Dairy Price Bribery, and the bombing of Cambodia, have fallen aside. DUKE thanks guests, and invites viewers to view the next days proceedings. signs off. [title screen--voiceover credits sponsoring organizations--NPACT ID--PBS network ID] [00.30.57--TAPE OUT]
Red and Yellow Barbet
Red & yellow barbet ON PART ONE
Black Capped Social Weaver
Black-capped social weaver, young fledging ON PART ONE
Superb Starling
Superb starling ON PART ONE
Crowned Crane
Crowned crane ON PART TWO
Long Tailed Widow Bird
01:06:19 Long-tailed widow bird displaying 01:08:12 Long-tailed widow bird displaying in flight ON PART ONE
Crested Francolin
Crested francolin ON PART ONE
Black Bellied Bustard
Black-bellied bustard ON PART ONE
Coqui Francolin
Female coqui francolin ON PART ONE
Anteater Chat
Anteater chat ON PART ONE
Lilac Breasted Roller
Lilac-breasted roller ON PART ONE
White Crowned Shrike
White-crowned shrike ON PART ONE
Blue Eared Starling
Blue-eared starling ON PART ONE
Silver Bird
Silver bird ON PART ONE
Gray Woodpecker
Gray woodpecker ON PART ONE
Ruppels Long Tailed Starling
Ruppel's long-tailed starling ON PART ONE
Gray Woodpecker
Gray woodpecker ON PART ONE
DeArnauds Barbet
De Arnaud's Barbet ON PART ONE
Ring Neck Dove
Ring-neck dove call ON PART ONE
Hammerhead
Hamerkop building nest (Hammer-headed Stork, hammerhead) ON PART ONE