I do think it is a valid way of doing things when nobody above him can be trusted. Who else is he going to tell?
How should he have proceeded?
Do you agree that breaking and entering is a good way to run the govenment?
Who said that these people were his political enemies? He didn't pick sides. He leaked info on both the Dems and the GOP.
Nixon was his political enemy, big-time. Felt hated Nixon, which is why he went after him on the Watergate break-in.
He should have proceeded to let courts of law try crimes that were committed. Felt should have kept his mouth shut. The burglars were arrested and charged along with those who conspired with them, two of which were former CIA operatives.
Hunt and McCord had been heavily involved in black ops against communists. Nixon was very worried about that and the fact that they were blackmailing and threatening to leak sources and methods in the Cold War if they weren't paid off.
And no, Felt never leaked anything about the Dems, nothing about LBJ's "enemies lists", or JFK's affairs with mob chicks, etc. etc. etc.
That's not that hard. I'm sure he had lots of friends in the Attorney General's office who weren't loyal to Mitchell and who might bring charges. Well, if he didn't then he could publically announce an investigation despite FBI Director Gray's objections. Gray would understand that he could either support it or go down with the ship. If that wasn't Felt's cup of tea, he could go to a Democrat in the Congress with some oversight power and get a Special Investigator.
Felt knew he was wrong to do what he did. He admitted as much and had very little nice to say about "Deep Throat" through the years.
Do you agree that breaking and entering is a good way to run the govenment?
No, Nixon brought this upon himself and deserved what he got. Unlike Bill Clinton, Ted Kennedy, and the other Dem lawbreakers, at least he had the decency to resign.
Who said that these people were his political enemies? He didn't pick sides. He leaked info on both the Dems and the GOP.
What did he leak on the Dems? The George Wallace stuff? How does that hurt the Dems? That just shows that he severely lacked judgement. There was no reason to leak that, other than to help Woodward's career.