1974 Nixon Impeachment Hearings; 1974-05-09; Reel 1 of 2

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that meeting will come to order three months ago the house of representatives considered a dress at all three and the resolution read as follows resolve that the committee and the judiciary acting as a whole or by any subcommittee thereof appointed by the chairman for the purpose here of an accord and in accordance with the rules of the committee is authorized and directed to investigate it fully and completely whether sufficient grounds exist for the house of representatives to exercise its constitutional power to impeach richard m nixon president of the united states of america the committee's shall report for the house of

representatives such resolutions articles of impeachment or other recommendations as it deems proper the house adopted that resolution by a vote of four hundred and ten before we are proceeding under the mandate of that resolution i don't need to stress again the importance of our undertaking and the wisdom decency and principle which we must bring to it we understand our high constitutional responsibility we will faithfully live up to it for some time we have gone that the real security of this nation lives in the integrity of its institutions and that trust and informed competence of its people we conduct our deliberations in that spirit

we shall begin our hearings by considering material is relevant to the question of presidential responsibility for the watergate break in and its investigation by law enforcement agencies this is one of six our ears of our inquiry we expect to continue our inquiries until each aria has been thoroughly examine first we will consider detailed information assembled by the staff this consists of information already on the public record information developed in executive session by other congressional committees information furnished by the federal grand jury of the district of columbia and other information after today the committee will meet regularly three days a week for all they sessions beginning next tuesday at nine thirty am the chairman will

as circumstances dictate be ready to notice such business meetings as many con necessarily during the initial presentation special counsel women are the council will explain to summarize the materials our proceedings are governed by the rules of confidentiality that the committee adopted on february twenty second and the rules of procedure adopted may second the committee has the power to modify or change these rules now in the course of these hearings some other materials which the committee will consider had been held confidential by the staff by mr hutchinson and myself this material includes tape recordings of conversations among president nixon and his key associates we will listen to these recordings during these

hearings after the judiciary committee has had the opportunity to consider this material it will decide if and when in the national interest this material should be made public the judiciary committee has determined that president nixon should be accorded the opportunity to have his council president throughout the proceeding with the james st clair as president the day after the initial proceedings are completed this to st clair will be afforded the opportunity to respond to the present tension or you or in writing as determined by the committee he and his assistant understand the committee's rules of procedure and the committee's rules of confidentiality and they are bound by those rules are proceedings will be conducted under the rules of the house of representatives technical rules of evidence do not apply we are

governed by the constitution of the united states which does the sole power of impeachment announce a brief report of the desert proceedings will be issued at the end of each day's hearing i recognize the gentleman from michigan mr hutchinson today the committee starts consideration of the most awesome far constitutional invested in the house of representatives during the past four months this committee's impeachment inquiry staff has been assembling information under the committee's direction and counsel will now present to the committee the information assemble the power of impeachment is one of those great checks and balances written in our constitution to ameliorate the stark doctrine of the separation of power but impeachment of a president is most drastic for i can bring

down an administration of the government the constitution itself limits the scope of impeachment of a president for treason bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors mr dictionary published in london and seventeen seventy six defines impeachment as and i quote the equity accusation and prosecution of a person for treason or other crimes and misdemeanors and a member of the house of commons may not only impeach any of their own body but also any lord of palm and up on articles are exhibited on behalf of the commons and managers appointed to make good their charge an accusation which being done in the proper jew the pitcher sentences best end it is observed that the same evidence is required in an impeachment in cairo as in the ordinary courts of justice unquote that definition of the term girly exhibits i believe the

understanding and meaning of the founders of this republic when they rolled it wrote into our constitution the sole power of this house to impeach the president of the united states the standard it imposes and a finding of criminal culpability on the part of the president himself measured according to criminal law i trust at the members of this committee embarked upon their awesome as each in his own resolve suicide ordinary political considerations and the way the evidence according to the mall i trust that each of us is resolved during this inquiry school the steel been practiced in the law as each of us is to reform as a lawyer in the finest traditions of the profession and in view of the enormity of the responsibility cast upon us i trusted in the days and weeks ahead each of us will according to the dictates of his own conscience seek guidance of that divine providence which can be with us all and

be everywhere for good and which has sold less this nation and its people through our history as the gentleman from massachusetts mr dunham has been the week before the developer community in a few weeks

i know the committee oh the film on an investigative you may the committee has been made in seconds maj gen time i'd advise the gentleman from this again is not a debatable lotion and the question

is not one that is debatable question to the committee all those in favor what are these this is because these are the services of a gentleman standing appointed lawyers in the firing of the chair only rule that this motion is not a debatable on and accordance with the rules of the house twenty seven am and now for a less the gentleman who is ready to state that he as an itinerant fairs what has a lot of a lot of the charities ready to present the question of the emotion thank you

you are one quarter of the committee whether that the ultimate goal therefore we're really only going on those days that was as the show again state of the session it would be closed of course would relate to today and then a subsequent time nocera couldn't attend an unemotional but the emotion though that is part of a chair at this time is a motion to close this hearing in order that we have this unusual

present regime and in accordance with rule eleven twenty seven am which suggest that where there is the possibility that any information they can get the greater the famed that the session be an executive session was known for on the chairman of climbing through this inquiry into a little bit of my attention to support the martian however it's my understanding that at the next session of the us committee if it's because there's an ace mr marshall acton remain in the room and at subsequent sessions with the full questionnaire the question gentlemen is propounding suggest that we will be continuing and we are going to be continuing this hearing we will be reassessing from time to time but yeah i mean each

day's session that was very day seminar a group of adults that room gentlemen is absolutely correct in the eyes a gentleman from new york for a parliamentary inquiry mr chairman under this notion of the requirements of confidentiality dozen staff of the president united states to an uprising that they governed by these rules the chairs are you stated there the counsel for the president then the system there are governed by the rules of confidentiality in the rules procedures jails have to understand science is no

access to medical care is saying that and according to what the rules all that ice but he suggested in the motion is that they in a way and not that there is a finding of fact pictures that just to get a guy acting on the motion of the gentleman from massachusetts the parliamentary inquiry will not be diverted chair recognizes that however i would state of the gentleman that the gentleman as i write and tell that this is a ruling that there is no need that there be a finding in fact therefore the gentleman zenker is out of order and the jam out what's the question leigh

roll call vote is the magic however i'm in accordance with the rules of the house one of the members would act to support a day requires roll call all those in favor of asking for a roll call by record vote please raise their hand up one fifth of the members of asian number has voted in the affirmative the moral cause the mandate and they clark will colorado for those in favor of closing the hearings we say i almost pose no it has been all right

ms jean mackenzie this is just the reality i see the purpose be it's big thirty one members voted aye

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