Thinking about Rose Mary Woods
I first learned her name as a young kid after walking precincts with my brother’s wife in support of the reelection campaign of President Nixon. With a brother in the military during the Vietnam War, there was no way I was supporting a “Communist supporting man” like George McGovern.
We were Young Republicans and proud of it.
But then came the hearings. And eventually the White House tapes. Soon the transcripts were delivered to our house, word for word in a special Los Angeles Times Watergate section.
With the famous gap. 18.5 minutes of silence.
There, in front of America was evidence of a coverup. The Nixon Administration it was argued, was guilty of not providing to Congress, as ordered by US Courts, tapes of conversations between the President and his Chief of Staff, H.R. Haldeman.
Congress was interested in those tapes because they were captured by the president's secret White House recording system in the days immediately following the break-in at Democratic National Committee headquarters.
But those tapes contained a mysterious 18.5-minute gap -- a patch of buzzes and clicks of missing audio -- in the middle of a recording made June 20, 1972, three days after the break-in.
18.5 minutes.
In the aftermath of the Watergate Scandal, Congress passed the Presidential Records Act. It ultimately made all communications and documents of the Executive Branch, property of the US Government.
This law includes memos, emails, texts, phone logs and more.
It was passed to help us better know what our government was doing and, in the event of a potential crime, to help provide evidence to convict, or exonerate members of the Executive Branch, including the President of the United States.
All of that came about because of 18.5 minutes.
A short length of time that ultimately brought down a presidency and ended the career of Rose Mary Woods, Nixon’s longtime political secretary.
Which brings us to today and that Presidential Records Act, passed in 1978.
We can quibble with the law, we can say we hate the law, but, as the Supreme Court has frequently said, the law is the law. If you don’t like it, change it. But until then, follow it.
That law is in the news today because the National Archives, where the Executive Branch sends their records for safekeeping in accordance with the law, was recently ordered to turn over to Congress White House call records from January 6. Which they did.
Except those records from the White House are incomplete. It seems a block of time that we know from other records included calls to and from the White House, is mysteriously missing.
Shades of Rose Mary Woods.
Except this time it is not 18.5 minutes, it’s over 7 hours!
What the Trump White House wants us to believe is that for over 7 hours, no one called the president. And the president called no one. Not a single call came into or went out of the White House while the Capitol was under a sustained attack that injured more than 100 Capitol police officers.
Take a minute and let that sink in.
The White House defense is that they made no calls during that debacle. They are essentially saying while they watched the beating of police officers live on television in the Oval Office, they felt no need to call anyone to help those officers or to try and stop the attack.
While we know from other members of the administration that the above defense is fundamentally untrue, we are still left with an administration that has apparently violated the Presidential Records Act.
This is a choose your poison moment.
Either the Trump Administration chose not to “protect and defend” the US while the Capitol was under direct attack, or they are lying and made a decision to break the law calling for the proper safeguarding of presidential records.
President Nixon might well have survived the Watergate Scandal even after the tapes became known. But that 18.5 minute gap was too much even for his political allies.
I wonder if any leader in the GOP today can summon the courage of Howard Baker and Barry Goldwater back then and say enough is enough. For the sake of our democracy and so that we can still credibly claim are a nation of laws, I hope so.
Because President Trump, his administration and his enablers must be held to account for their actions on January 6 and for flouting the Presidential Records Act of 1978.
What say you?
31 comments:
Excellent post, Mr. Miller! Having come of age in those dark, seedy years, I recall it all well, including the legislation of which you speak. It was needed then just as it's needed now and we'd be more than foolish as a nation to do away with that crucial check on the powers of the Executive branch.
It's more than obvious that Trump and his regime lined up to spit on the Constitution and the rule of law at every possible chance they could. Sadly, I'm starting to think that Merit Garland is just too timid or too afraid of looking partisan to actually hold these lawbreakers to account. It appears more and more likely that he will not follow through on charges for the highest levels.
Excellent article Dave. Like Bluebullamerica I came of age during those turbulent and divise times. Not much has changed really. Except the lust for power and disrepect for the rule of law has grown deeper roots in the republiscum party. Good luck weeding and descuming the red swamp.
Maybe as a young Republican fervently believing in Nixon, but now in hindsight understand you were misled. You had firsthand experience with the dangers of group think. I wonder if the Trump cultists have come to that conclusion. Apparently not. What will it take to break the believers thinking and the Trump fever of group think? The believers are ignoring the recent evidence you cite and preparing for Trump's run for president in 2024. They will believe nothing negative about their hero no matter its authentication. Group think is dangerous.
Blue... as it relates to Garland, I saw something today that made me think.
Just because a man is a good, or great justice, that does not mean he will be a good prosecutor or AG. Just like a great career as a sports star does not guarantee success as a coach, neither does Garland's admittedly great career as a jurist mean he can do the job of an AG.
Perhaps it is time for Pres Biden to move on to a more aggressive AG.
Are you suggesting a "pit bull take no prisoners AG" Dave? Because that may very well be the ony remedy to the mamsy pamsy methodology of the current democratic response to tRump's seditious activily and 01/06/2021 coup attempt that leads to justice. As much as I hate ro say it.
Anon @ 1:56...
I was young then. 14-15 years old. But what I remember is this... right or wrong, Nixon "seemed" stronger on defense and I wanted my brother safe. That was a powerful emotion to a young guy.
Couple that with the Dems error on Thomas Eagleton and Nixon was primed for a win.
Sure, McGovern was ultimately proved right, but that's just where I was.
In 1976, I supported Ford over Carter. To this day, I still believe he would have been a fine president. Carter just never did it for me. In fact as we moved towards 1980, I was supporting Ted Kennedy, who gave one of the best convention speeches of my generation.
But over the years, I've been pretty moderate in my presidential choices. Until now.
Unless a candidate, from either party, publicly can say Barack Obama was born in the states, the 2020 election was not stolen, or offer real evidence to the contrary, and sees the capitol attacks of Jan 6 as an insurrection, they will never get my vote.
Period.
And that will be the same for downline candidates in all partisan races.
I've never been a party line voter before, but I'm afraid without a sane GOP, I'm left with no choice.
Anon @ 3:39...
A Pit Bull? Not necessarily. Look, I get where Biden is at. He's in a tough place, not wanting it to look like he's politicizing the DOJ.
Perhaps what he needs is someone more open to a prosecutors position, but with a charismatic personality to sell this to America. A very public hearing of evidence if you will.
Call the Trumpers in and immunize them. We don't care about the minions because we don't need them. Then once they have immunity, they have to testify.
Or go to jail, like Susan McDougal did for Clinton.
And Congress should do the same. Public hearings.
The specter of those folks refusing to answer, or claiming the Fifth, all day long, will have an effect on the American public.
Remember, we only need to turn a few votes in a number of races to keep the House and Senate and with ppl looking like they are part of a coverup, those votes are gettable.
Because the Trump Admin HAS broken the law.
Well said, Dave.
I cling to the vain optimism that somehow Trump will pay for his crimes. I'm hoping the investigations are closer than we can observe, and lead to his indictment and conviction.
In the meantime:
Putin and his Puppet, the Orange Mussolini, are the real Axis of Evil.
Together they undermined the EU through Brexit, weakened NATO, and brought war to Europe.
Trump’s Big Lie and his party’s voter suppression and election rigging are close to destroying America's experiment in a democratic republic.
Until they face justice, they are winning.
OT: "@ TC: "The Tucker Carlson fan club is strictly imbeciles only."
Are you calling AOW an imbecile?"
Q.E.D.
LOLOLOLOLOLOL!
Now we are going back to Nixon how about Washington or since it is all about scorching republicans maybe it should start with Lincoln. You do know the NYT, CNN and the leftist media are admitting hunter sold influence to his dad. Of course they waited until after joey has proven he is clueless after they supported him so they are trying to save face. The vote count was not horribly wrong but to say there was not collusion to get trump out is extremely naive.
Would we be better off with trump in office, who knows. We couldn't be worse off than under the incompetent incumbent. They are both proving to be corrupt but at least one did something other than create multiple crisis for the American people.
Dave, I haven't been able to post much since getting back from my vaca, but I have been posting the comments from "Comment Moderation."
The comments have all been thoughtful -- except the Anon about T.Carlson, I don't know what that has to do with all of this, but okay.
But skud's comment was just too much!
skud: "Would we be better off with trump in office, who knows. We couldn't be worse off than under the incompetent incumbent. They are both proving to be corrupt but at least one did something other than create multiple crisis for the American people."
How in the name of all that's holy does skud have the gall to post the above????
He doesn't know if we'd be better off if trump were in office???
Trump is fully responsible for the Big Lie and the insurrection his Big Lie caused on J6! -- a seditious attack on the United States Capitol and our democracy! And if that weren't enough to nauseate and horrify thinking Americans, Trump's latest democracy-bashing and mortifying Putin-praising for the attack of a sovereign country is the icing on Trump's calamitous betrayal of every democratic principle America holds dear!
Skud needs to look deep inside himself and ask why he is unsure we wouldn't be better off with Trump as president.
If lying about a stolen election that TRUMP'S OWN ADVISORS, ATTORNEY GENERAL, TRUMP'S OWN FBI DIRECTOR CHRISTOPHER WRAY, and REPUBLICAN SECRETARIES OF STATE said was the MOST SECURE and an election that Trump legitimately LOST -- if that weren't enough for skudrunner to see what a danger to our country Trump is, Trump's latest praised of a War Criminal, Putin, should have stunned him into the realization that Donald J. Trump is NOT a friend of democracy, but an admirer of a butcher who killed and maimed innocent men, women, and children and will go down in history as one of the worst. BUT TRUMP CALLED HIM SMART AND ADMIRES WHAT HE DID.
Think about that! skud doesn't know if we'd be better off with a POTUS who sided with a WAR CRIMINAL and butcher of men, women, and children?
skud needs to check his values. Or at least the lens he uses to evaluate human morals.
His post makes him look like a Trump cultist, because only a cultist marinated in lies and magical thinking would EVER believe Trump could lead a democratic country.
Trump is a liar, a cheat, a fraud, and a friend of bloody dictators.
And Joe Biden, even in his worst behavior, never, never, never comes near the malodorous and seditious behavior of Donald J. Trump.
Yes, Skud, at least "one did something other than create multiple crisis for the American people".
Trump divided the country with his hate and lies, ramped up racism with his birtherism and bigotry, and may have permanently undermined every future election with his Big Lie. Then there's his coup and cult of radical racist extremists poisoning our nation's reputation for a peaceful transition of power.
Thanks to his party, insulin and health care will be prohibitively expensive. More Americans will will die due to his totally corrupt and dishonest party of greedheads and bigots.
Our democracy would have been much better off without Trump.
Civilians lay dead in the middle of the street. Others lay by the side of the road, next to or underneath their bicycles. Often, the victims had been shot in the head. Some of them had their hands tied.
These are the scenes that the world is discovering as Russian troops retreat from the area around Kyiv. In one suburb, Bucha, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine alleged that Russia had tortured and killed more than 300 people, with the death count still rising. In another town, Nova Basan, residents told The Times’s Carlotta Gall about being beaten, tortured and subjected to mock executions.
In response to these atrocities against Ukrainian civilians, President Biden and European leaders vowed yesterday to take new measures against Russia. Today’s newsletter explains their options. They fall into two main categories: weapons for Ukrainian troops and economic sanctions against Russia.
President Biden called Putin a "butcher."
Donald Trump said this about Putin:
“I went in yesterday and there was a television screen, and I said, ‘This is genius,’ ” Trump continued. “Putin declares a big portion of the Ukraine — of Ukraine. Putin declares it as independent. Oh, that’s wonderful. So, Putin is now saying, ‘It’s independent,’ a large section of Ukraine. I said, ‘How smart is that?’ And he’s gonna go in and be a peacekeeper. That’s strongest peace force … We could use that on our southern border.”
What happened in America that causes otherwise sane people to even THINK that Trump could be the better choice for our democratic republic when his words and actions show the world that he admires and approves of bloody dictators?
Nothing Joe Biden nor his son, Hunter, has done comes close to the treachery and betrayal of Donald J. Trump to America.
Skidmark has obviously gone totally insane. Personally, I think it was that very bad case of whatabo0utism that he suffered under for so many years.
Ms. Shaw, That was a question not a statement in case you missed that and you provided your answer. Biden has taken up where your saint left off. Attack the middle class and follow the democrat motto of tax everything and spend on massive give away programs to secure votes.
Trump always has put his mouth ahead of his brain and that is part of not being a politician. Like most millionaires he is corrupt but so are most of congress. Is it OK for a president to allow the country to be overrun with non citizens and OK to not hold groups accountable for their actions. It seems to be as long as they are democrats. Where is BLM and ANTIFA now that cities need to be rebuilt. Nope they are gone with millions in donations and no actions to help the people they are suppose to represent. Now businesses are asking the taxpayer to pay for the rebuild.
I do have a question, when you are retired how do you take a vacation? I struggle with that myself when every day is a vacation and could use some sage advice.
skud hits another mind numbing ignorance bomb out of the park.
skud: "Is it OK for a president to allow the country to be overrun with non citizens."
That is not a true statement. It's a far right talking point.
Dave Miller posted a thoughtful essay on the 7+ hours missing from WH phone records on J6, and what, if anything, Trump supporters, or any current GOPer has to say about that.
Instead of addressing the subject, you came here and trashed President Biden. Neither President Biden nor his son had anything to do with the insurrection, the crimes committed by Donald Trump and his cultists that day, or the missing 7+ hours on DJT's phone.
All you did was come here and list your talking-point grievances that were, on the whole, untrue.
One thing we can thank whatever deity or no deity at all for is that DJT is NOT in the WH during this dangerous time for the world's democracies.
From what we know of on J6, Trump has no respect for our country nor for democracy. IMO, and as Dave Dubya said, Trump has done more harm to America in his 6 years of constant lying, self-promotion, and war criminal worshipping than any POTUS ever will.
skud, your last comment in the Comment Moderation folder had nothing to do with Dave's post.
Skud... here's some sage advice from Warren, whom I seldom agree with politically, but absolutely do here. His response was to a "commenter" who frequently posts off topic rants, questions and accusations that have nothing to do with the current post.
Your post above, which I will respond to directly after this, certainly fits the bill of Warren's concerns. The commenter was asking "why his posts were always being deleted."
Here's how Warren responded...
Mainly, because you're non-responsive to other commenters and almost always off topic and not even tangentially related to the topic of our posts. We decide, not you.
What you put up are not "Posts", they are comments. This is not a Message Board -if such a thing even exists anymore-, where you can start your own topic.
If you just want to flit around and post your cut and paste comments from blog to blog, consider opening your own blog where you can post whatever you like.
Skud... as for your post/comment/rhetorical question...
Do you think using Nixon's name somehow makes your comment related to anything I wrote? I'm asking for a friend.
i could write a bundle on how VP Nixon did the right thing when he conceded the election and recognized JFK in 1961 when he certified the election, over the wishes of Senate Minority leader Dirksen and President Eisenhower.
But that was not the subject of this post.
It was simply whether or not Former President Trump broke the law while in office in not adhering to the Presidential Records Act of 1978. And if so, what penalties should he face?
I'll take your non answer, as is the case with many conservatives when they remain silent on direct questions, as a yes, Trump committed a crime. But like many, you are too timid to say that.
Because then you'd have to admit you voted for not just a president like many others who at times is corrupt or ineffective, but a criminal.
Must be tough...
Skud... as for vacations...
It's healthy to get out, even in retirement, and see other places, lifestyles and people. It keeps the mind, and life fresh.
Everyday is day off work in retirement, but not a vacation.
At least IMHO...
Paz amigo!
Tom Clay:
The January 6th special committee unearthed the verifiable fact that there is a 7 hour gap in the White House call logs for that bloody day and while the details of those calls have yet to be revealed and with whom they were with, what we do know beyond a doubt is that the house leader Kevin McCarthy and Jim Jordan admitted that they had spoken to Trump that day. Sean Hannity has also said he spoke to Trump on January the 6th.
The problem for them now is, there are no records of those calls in the White House log.
The reason why that is particularly germane is because after the Watergate debacle which bore witness to the multitudes of felonies that crook Nixon committed, congress made sure that there would never again be another criminal administration that destroyed evidence of their crimes against the people of the United States.
In 1978, both Democrats and Republicans passed the Presidential Records Act which made it a federal felony for anyone inside the White House to destroy presidential records *of any kind.*
In accordance with the PRA of 1978, the National Archives has a full time archivist at the White House to document everything that will go into the Presidential Record at the National Archives. Testimony this week revealed that the archivist was ‘frozen out’ of the Oval Office in the days leading up to the insurrection.
The committee also heard evidence this week from people who were at the White House who testified that Trump mentioned using ‘burner phones’.
Last month it was revealed that Trump was prone to tearing up papers and flushing them down the toilet despite being warned by his own staff that it was a violation of the PRA.
Donald Trump has demonstrated a complete contempt for the law whenever he wants to violate it and it is pathetic how incompetent his failed coup was. When he couldn’t seize power from the rightful winner of the election, he tried to delegitimize the election because his delusion of being the best president ever was confronted with the awful truth that he is incapable of accepting, that he lost.
'Freezing out’ the archivist is what prosecutors call, ‘consciousness of guilt.’
He knew he was going to commit crimes. He knew he was going to try and overturn the election. He conspired with the lunatics who assembled that day to stop the certification of the election which is also a felony. He tried to coverup his crimes just as Nixon did and in doing so, he committed even more felonies.
Donald Trump is the third Republican president to commit a plethora of felonies while in office and despite the protestations of his grossest flatterers, that is the truth that the fourth estate is failing so miserably at telling for fear of offending the profitable newspeak viewers that comprise their vast audience.
The most important foundational tenet of this country is the rule of law and that all men are equal before it.
Violate that principle and the Republic will quickly fall. Republicans have done everything they possibly could to incinerate it before our very eyes and if we the patriots of our beloved country fail to punish them for their wickedness, we will be powerless to stop them from wrecking whatever is left of our nation after November.
Trump flouted that principle more than Nixon ever thought about. As president, he used the constitution like toilet paper and gave anyone who might want to hold him accountable for his multitudes of felonies the finger.
Whoever bought those burner phones is guilty of seditious conspiracy.
Everyone in the White House that day is guilty of trying to overthrow the government of the United States of America. They thought that because the president was doing it, it meant it was legal.
I wish skudrunner would read the above and tell us why DJT shouldn’t be sent to prison for his crimes.
Ms. Shaw and Rev, The US is a country of laws, at least it was at one time. I have said on several occasions that if trump is found guilty of breaking the law he should be punished. I am not a judge or jury and do not have all the facts so I will wait until he goes to trial and the facts are presented before I make a judgement.
You seem to expect trump to do the right thing which is never going to happen. If people looked at his past they would know his history which is all about trump. I have been accused of being a trump supporter which is not true. I have voted in enough election to be tired of voting against someone instead of voting for someone, I would rather sit it out. Did I vote for -H- No Way and I didn't vote for thrump either time because I thought he was not a good choice, I didn't vote for joey either because of his history. Had joey been in the race instead of -H- I might have voted for him. Trump has destroyed the republican party and he needs to go away. Will he get jail time if found guilty, I doubt it just like another politician who had a report fabricated to discredit and opponent.
As to vacation while retired. Definition of vacation "a period of exemption from work granted to an employee" So if you are not working how can you vacation. We travel extensively, at least we did until the falsie fiasco and have started to again.
Happy Trails
skud, the Oxford language dictionary gives this definition of vacation:
"an extended period of leisure and recreation, especially one spent away from home or in traveling."
One can be retired and have a vacation.
PS. I knew of plenty of Americans who continued to travel during the COVID shutdown. Dr. Fauci had nothing to do with your electing to stay home. It was your choice. And it was a smart one.
Skud, you said this...
"You seem to expect trump to do the right thing which is never going to happen."
You see, that's the problem. Your statement is 100% right. You're correct. You've spoken truth. You've stated something the great majority of us lefties have said for years.
Trump is never going to do the right thing. That people would vote for, support and defend a man they know will never do the right thing and want him as our president is unbelievable.
Your statement explains a lot... about America and the conservative right.
I relied on Webster which is more targeted to the middle class where Oxford is geared toward the elitist, not inferring you are an elitist but I am defiantly middle class. Didn't say I stayed home I just limited my travels to the US and did not go abroad. Of course now with the war I have no plans to travel overseas and will just pay the biden gas prices to travel the US.
We are still cautious with our travel. No commercial air travel and most trips we drive. We stay distant from people we don't know. I think this is the new norm which is OK with me.
skud: From Merriam Webster online:
Definition of vacation (Entry 1 of 2)
1: a period spent away from home or business in travel or recreation
That what the "elitist" Oxford dictionary said as well.
I just got back from a lovely vacation in the southwest -- Tucson. Flying with a mask on was not a problem, but dealing with the horrible conditions the airlines impose on their customers was. I hadn't flown since 2019 because of COVID, and I don't remember such abuse from the airlines.
My traveling companion is tall, and if he wanted more leg room, the airlines were pleased to offer it for an extra $80! Of course, we were charged to check our baggage -- $35/bag.
The airlines squash their customers into seats where one must keep one's elbows tightly tucked at one's side so as not to jab one's seatmate!
The 5 1/2 hour flight got us the generous meal of two ginger cookies WAFERS, not even full cookies, and water.
On the early AM return trip, we had to stop at Denver, where hoped to grab breakfast. Wrong hope! One restaurant near our gate served only liquids -- no food! And the one Starbucks the in this area WAS CLOSED. I grabbed an egg salad sandwich in a newspaper stand, which cost me $17.00! And a bottle of water. That sustained me until I got to Boston and was able to feed myself and my companion a real meal.
This was all a far, far cry from when I began to fly in the 60s -- we walked to the gate (sans security in those days), sat in comfortable seats, and were served meals, not great, but at least on a 6 hour flight, one was given sustenance -- also, in those days, alcoholic drinks if one wished, but not anymore because of the disgraceful behavior of some animals who are allowed to fly. We weren't charged for checking baggage, nor did we have to pay extra for legroom.
All in all, it was a miserable experience, and I don't look forward to another one.
Dave wrote: "Trump is never going to do the right thing. That people would vote for, support and defend a man they know will never do the right thing and want him as our president is unbelievable."
And here's a perfect example of what you wrote from a GQPer:
"...why are we looking to any one man or woman in government to be our savior? They are not holy, they will make mistakes, they will be dishonest and lie and lets not pretend Trump was some savior or angel."
(S.K.: She speaks the truth, so far. But wait, there's more!)
"For every good thing about Trump there are ten bad things, but of course common logic would tell you that is far better than Obama and a huge milestone over Biden.",
(S.K.: She says Trump did ONE good thing for every TEN BAD THINGS he did? And then, of course, she, like skudrunner, has to trash President Obama, who, BTW, was NOT IMPEACHED TWICE, was never under criminal investigation (as is Trump), did not take government property/documents out of the WH and to his private home when he was no longer president, and did NOT INCITE AN INSURRECTION AGAINST HIS OWN GOVERNMENT!
But why quibble about facts when her "whataboutism" so conveniently ignores the truth?)
"But we need to be realistic when we speak about Trump. I voted for him and I am not ashamed of it, but I do not see him through rose colored glasses either."
(S.K.: Those last two sentences are a perfect example of where the GOP's mentality is these days: confused, irrational, and stupid. The woman admits that Trump is a scoundrel and worse, and she doesn't see him through "rose colored glasses," but she's not ashamed of voting for someone who did ONE GOOD THING TO 10 BAD THINGS! IOW, a worthless politician who'd sell his mother out for political and financial gain. But she's all in for him!)
Darwin help us!
So even dictionaries have preferences in Skidmark's bizarre little world? I bet his appliances do too. That damned toaster oven has always wanted to cancel culture right wingers. Always. Someone alert Carlson right away!
The fact this nation has devolved to the point we seem more concerned about talking about personality rather than policy and ethical behavoir is depressing. It does not bode well for the future.
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