Judge: Time to unseal Nixon's Watergate testimony

Associated Press ^ | Friday, July 29, 2011 2:42 PM EDT | NEDRA PICKLER

[Hunton Peck]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Thirty-six years after Richard Nixon testified to a grand jury about the Watergate break-in that drove him from office, a federal judge on Friday ordered the secret transcript made public.

But the 297 pages of testimony won't be available immediately, because the government gets time to decide whether to appeal.

The Obama administration opposed the transcript's release, chiefly to protect the privacy of people discussed during the ex-president's testimony who are still alive.

Nevertheless, U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth agreed with historians who sued for release of the documents that the historical significance outweighs arguments for secrecy, because the investigations are long over and Nixon has been dead 17 years.

Nixon was interviewed behind closed doors near his California home for 11 hours over two days in June 1975, 10 months after resigning the presidency. Two grand jurors were flown in and the transcript was read to the rest of the panel sitting back in Washington. It was the first time a former U.S. president testified before a grand jury — Bill Clinton became the first sitting president to do so during the Monica Lewinsky investigation.

At the time of his testimony, Nixon could not be prosecuted for conduct related to Watergate because he had been pardoned by President Gerald Ford. Ten days after Nixon testified, the grand jury was dismissed without making any indictments based on what he told them.

The historians say the testimony could address ongoing debate over Nixon's knowledge of the break-in at Democratic party headquarters at the Watergate complex and his role in the cover-up.

"Nixon knew when you testified before a grand jury you exposed yourself to perjury, so I'm betting he told the truth," said University of Wisconsin Professor Stanley Kutler, who filed the lawsuit along with four historians' organizations.

[opentalk]

Time to unseal all of Obama’s background records. This has more implications about our future.

[TYVets]

If it can be used to knock Nixon I have no doubts it will not be opposed by 0bama’s thugs.

[Mr. Jazzy]

Odumbo will hold off on releasing these until they get caught doing something that even the democrat/media complex cannot ignore and then dump them out there, to draw media attention away from them and give them Nixon/GOP to attack.

Typical “Look over there!” technique by these communists.

[FlingWingFlyer]

The historians say the testimony could address ongoing debate over Nixon's knowledge of the break-in at Democratic party headquarters at the Watergate complex and his role in the cover-up.

And this is important, why? These "historians" might want to concentrate on something that is a little more recent and more serious. How 'bout when Sandy Burglar got caught stealing all of those Clinton documents from the archives. I might be interested in that. As for Nixon, these hippies might want to MoveOn and get a life.

[Sacajaweau]

Remember, Hillary was up to her eyeballs in the Nixon case.

I'll entitle this...."Obama keeps Hillary in check".

[ngat]

This could be entertaining for those of us who paid attention to Watergate 35 years ago. Bob Schieffer did a hit piece on Nixon earlier in the week; saw it played on early morning TV news show. Seemed kind of out-of-the-blue and I was wondering if it was just to distract us from the failures of the current administration. I don’t remember that the story mentioned this pending document release, perhaps it did.

[bubbacluck]

When Obama ran for Senator against Jack Ryan, didn’t their campaign release the divorce transcripts which caused the republican candidate to withdraw? Where was his concern for Mr. Ryan’s privacy?

[CPO retired]

Wasn’t Hillary fired for her handling of the case? Is this a preemptive move to keep her of a primary?

[Sacajaweau]

Her recommendations were ruled unconstitutional. Fired?? She probably got a raise.

[Hunton Peck]

I think they did that through one of the Chicago news outlets. It is interesting that they’re at least going through the motions of trying to prevent this release. I suppose it could just be that they don’t want a precedent for the release of 0bama’s records in the future, but there could be something more to it.

[EQAndyBuzz]

Yeah, no one sees this going public around October 15th 2012.

[Verginius Rufus]

Royce Lamberth as judge had to make rulings in some of the Clinton-era scandals—and was the target of vitriol from the Clintons.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Hunton Peck.

The [Zero] administration opposed the transcript's release, chiefly to protect the privacy of people discussed during the ex-president's testimony who are still alive.

Oh, yeah, that's the real reason.

[trumandogz]

It’s been almost 40 years.

Time to release those transcripts.

[SunkenCiv]

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Thanks again Hunton Peck. Note: this topic is from 7/29/2011. Finally adding to the catalog, not sending a general distribution. To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list.