Federal Judge Orders Release of Secret Nixon Watergate Testimony
- Posted on July 29, 2011 at 5:58pm by
Madeleine Morgenstern
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Former President Richard Nixon
A federal judge has ordered the government to unseal the 297-page transcript of former President Richard Nixon’s secret grand jury testimony on the Watergate scandal in 1975.
According to the Associated Press, U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth ruled in favor of historians who sued on the grounds that the historical significance of the testimony outweighs the need for secrecy. The Justice Department had fought to keep the material secret to protect witness privacy.
“The Court is confident that disclosure will greatly benefit the public and its understanding of Watergate without compromising the tradition and objectives of grand jury secrecy,” Lamberth said.
The transcript won’t be released immediately, however, as the government is entitled to appeal.
Nixon’s June 1975 testimony took place over two days in California, 10 months after his resignation from office. It was the first time a former U.S. president had testified before a grand jury.
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Comments (65)
abbygirl1994
Posted on July 29, 2011 at 8:47pmTell that judge we want all the secret talks with the Obamanation too!
Report Post »Exrepublisheep
Posted on July 29, 2011 at 9:06pmNo problem, come back in 36 years.
Report Post »Ruler4You
Posted on July 29, 2011 at 9:45pmWho gives a crap? Lets see the Warren Commission Report!
Report Post »trolltrainer
Posted on July 30, 2011 at 9:32am“Who gives a crap? Lets see the Warren Commission Report!”
Heh! That was the very first thought in my mind when i read the headline!
Report Post »christianUSA
Posted on July 29, 2011 at 8:46pmOpinion: time of this release seems political
Report Post »kindling
Posted on July 29, 2011 at 8:41pmI can‘t wait until we get all the papers from Obama’s presidency……..it will probably cure liberalism.
Report Post »ashestoashes
Posted on July 29, 2011 at 9:11pmYou have a lot more faith than I do. Nixon had spies in his cabinet to see what the competition was up to. In my estimaton, they thought it laughable and chose to do nothing to compete. We have devolved to a completely non legitimate leader who was raised muslim in Indonesia in a madrassa who is a communist/socialist and who is involved in a plan to bring the one world order into being by totally bankrupting this country. His administration spent more in the first year of leadership than has been spent since the beginning of our nation. Think of the money that has been and is being spent on islam here and abroad ,and liberally based organizations such as acorn. Liberals are running the entire world. Aren’t they doing a great job?
Report Post »lonewolf57
Posted on July 29, 2011 at 8:34pmPresident Richard M.Nixon resigned with humility,honor and dignity.There‘s no amount of secret taping’s that will change this.
Report Post »Bring it on.
Poogie
Posted on July 29, 2011 at 8:16pmDistraction! That’s all this is…
Report Post »Cold War Vet
Posted on July 30, 2011 at 12:06amUnfortunately, You’e probably right!
Report Post »Dr. Frank Lippenheimer
Posted on July 29, 2011 at 8:13pmGee. I still hate Nixon, too. Why don’t we just exhume his body and put him on the stand for treason? Meanwhile Little Lord Obama commits constitutional treason on a strikingly regular basis, and yet? All the media wants to talk about are Michelle’s AMAZING organic rutabagas, and HOW devastatingly grey our Boy King’s “do” has become.
Report Post »Cold War Vet
Posted on July 30, 2011 at 12:08amWe don‘t need to put Nixon’s body on the stand. We need to put it in the Oval Office. It would do a better job than Obama!
Report Post »herdzcatz
Posted on July 30, 2011 at 10:44pmTo Dr. Frank and the Cold War Vet: Amen and Amen!
Report Post »betterthantv
Posted on July 29, 2011 at 7:55pmIt will be fun to watch the Left eat crow when all this comes out. I’ve studied Nixon for quite a while. Watergate was nothing more than a distraction! But that’s never stopped the liberal media from making a firestorm in the past.
Report Post »suz
Posted on July 29, 2011 at 7:53pmscrew the nixon tapes: release info, all info, on fast and furious. F&F 10 times more f’d up and corrupt.
Report Post »Poogie
Posted on July 29, 2011 at 8:13pmI’m for both! I want my cake and I want to eat it, too!
Report Post »Spqr1
Posted on July 29, 2011 at 7:40pmMore evidence that GOP criminal Nixon was nothing more than a big criminal. Maybe there’s something there to finally go after Kissinger for his various war crimes, you know, the crimes that GOPers still applaud. And the Conservatives still defending Nixon proves that they really don’t believe in the rule of law.
Report Post »Buck_Ofama
Posted on July 29, 2011 at 7:45pmSPQR= “The Senate and the People of Rome”.
Are you Nero come back to watch the modern Rome burn will you fiddle and talk nonsense like all those MSNBC losers?
Report Post »Spqr1
Posted on July 29, 2011 at 7:58pmAnother response full of well thought out points. Here’s your banana sticker!
Report Post »Poogie
Posted on July 29, 2011 at 8:15pmYa, then we can go after the criminal administration we have now!
Report Post »Cold War Vet
Posted on July 30, 2011 at 12:10amAll those crimes combined can‘t hold a candle to Obama’s crimes.
Report Post »Ampleforth
Posted on July 30, 2011 at 10:50amConservatives applauding Nixon? Do you think Nixon was a true conservative? You better go back and look at some of the decisions that his administration made and talk to a lot of Democrats who voted for the man TWICE because they liked his domestic agenda. Take a look at voter registration numbers at the time and then look at the number of votes Nixon received and then make an argument that only conservative Republicans (there are two types of Republicans) elected him.
Why don’t you look at history with a little more objectivity? History is a tool and not a weapon.
Report Post »Seede
Posted on July 30, 2011 at 3:57pmOh- You mean something like the Obama Libya tapes which never existed cause they simply disappeared? Or the Pelosi Reid tapes of the back room deals which you will never ever hear? Or the Clinton Bosnia tapes which will never be heard or maybe the FDR tapes which sank our navy in 47?? It works both ways–
Report Post »markdido
Posted on July 30, 2011 at 6:25pmRemind me how many people died as a result of Watergate, in comparison with the number of people who died as a result of Fast and Furious.
Report Post »asmurff
Posted on July 29, 2011 at 7:33pmIf this will effect lives of people who are still living then leave it secret.
Or is it meant as a distraction to the diaster living in the White house now. Thinks that make you go hmmmm.
Report Post »Charbet
Posted on July 29, 2011 at 7:24pmMore smoke and mirrors to take the heat off of Obama’s agenda. He isn’t stupid as some believe he is. He was/is out to transform America into Amerika. He stated his intentions all through his miserable campaign. The people who were stupid were those who bought into this crap and voted this anti-American pos in.
Report Post »Richard Nixon paid for anything he did wrong, will Obama? Probably not.
In The Right
Posted on July 29, 2011 at 7:21pmYet we can‘t get an actual verified original copy of Obama’s Birf Certificate
Report Post »Cold War Vet
Posted on July 30, 2011 at 12:11amI think they stuffed it into the same case folder as the JFK investigations…
Report Post »windycitywoman
Posted on July 29, 2011 at 7:07pmHello Beck friends! I have started a prayer group for Glenn and his endeavors on educating our youth and his mission in Israel. This group also posts news articles and videos on topics Glenn has covered on his show. Many others and I are members of GBTV and will be discussing his show daily and posting what he shares on the Internet. This is a great way to stay in the loop if you do not have GBTV!. We have also been doing wonderful fast and prayers on Wednesdays for Israel! If you are a “like minded” Christian, Conservative Glenn Beck fan please join us (220 of us and growing rapidly and without the TROLLS)! Find me on Facebook under Sharon Grek Papucci and send me a friend request! Men may spurn our appeals, reject our message, oppose our arguments, despise our persons, but they are helpless against our prayers.” -Sidlow Baxter
Report Post »tower7femacamp
Posted on July 29, 2011 at 7:23pmtoo bad the judge didn’t want to open a new 911 investigation
Report Post »or a Goldman Saches investigation
Obama’s fake BC or make him release his college transcripts
kickagrandma
Posted on July 29, 2011 at 7:32pm@windycitywoman ~~~ Would LOVE to join you as I, too, am like minded; however, I do not do facebook any longer. Know I will be praying with you on Wednesdays though, and will be part of your group, just on non-facebook.
GOD BLESS AND PROTECT!
Report Post »betterthantv
Posted on July 29, 2011 at 7:57pmGreat! Thanks, I just looked you up.
Report Post »In The Right
Posted on July 29, 2011 at 6:56pmSurprise, surprise, surprise, authors who are noted in literary circles for their Liberalism only want the grand jury testimony to sully the reputation of an American icon former President Richard Nixon. I don’t see these same “historians” suing the Federal government to release ALL of the records from either the Kennedy or Johnson administrations. One must realize that certain “historians” products of Liberal institutions like Doris Kearns-Goodwin (a former White House employee of the Johnson administration) omits important details such as failing to reveal Johnson’s outright voter fraud (like ALL Democrats) stealing the 1948 U.S. Senate race (Texas) election from Coke Stevenson (1948) in her biography of her boss. For more information just research the infamous “Precinct 13” in Jim Wells County. How strange that when LBJ realized he was behind late on election day voters in the aforementioned county showed up in alphabetical order and all signed the election registration book again in alphabetical order in the SAME handwriting. When the results were challenged in court the ballot box was brought into the courtroom by Texas Ranger Frank Hamer (who killed Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow) an investigator for Stevenson but the judge with promises of an appointment to the Federal bench (by Johnson)refused to have the ballot box admitted into evidence and opened. NOT surprisingly the Texas state judge was later appointed to the Federal bench by a thankful dishonest LBJ. Th
Report Post »NotFooled
Posted on July 29, 2011 at 7:02pmThe libs are stuck in the 60’s. You see it in their socialist/ communist politics… Their always fighting “The Man”. lol they don’t realize that now they are “The Man” . They must have taken too much PCP in their youth. A bunch of mindless morons.
Report Post »NotFooled
Posted on July 29, 2011 at 6:42pmCan they do the same with the Bailout Scam? How about auditing the Fed for giving billions to the IMF?
Report Post »semihardrock
Posted on July 29, 2011 at 6:42pmlook for statements that Nixon was in FEAR of his life AND this was part of the reason for spying on people!
IF ANYONE REMEMBERS, Both Kennedy’s had been shot in prior years AND The Federal Reserve Bank decided to TAKE THE US DOLLAR off the Gold Standard (1971) under Nixon Whitehouse.
AND HERE WE ARE TODAY 15 TRILLION IN DEBT…..From that point in history…Go Figure!
Report Post »semihardrock
Posted on July 29, 2011 at 6:51pmHENCE, Why Nixon felt it was necessary to tell the American public “I AM NOT A CROOK”
He new the Federal Reserve took over the US Dollar officially when it came off GOLD STANDARD (1971)
Report Post »kickagrandma
Posted on July 29, 2011 at 6:31pmAfter all these years, of course they would choose to do it now. Whatever will get the far left loonie toonies and the muslime president back into orifice. Let’s tear up AMERICA with past failures instead of focusing on the current FAILURE in office and in congress.
I tell you what, if harry reid’s voice gets any reedier, I’m believing he is a corpse walking. WHY would anyone follow a man who sounds like that? Did nancy do that to him?
COURAGE, AMERICA. PRAY ON!!!
While you are at it, please pray for rain, LOTS OF RAIN, for TEXAS.
Report Post »OverFiend
Posted on July 29, 2011 at 6:28pmI remember watching him resagin on tv when i was 11 or 12 years old. he dose’nt seem so bad conpaired to what we have now. Hell i liked old Tricky Dick. Heres some funny Nixon quotes
Report Post »http://www.youtube.com/user/bloodybill61?feature=mhsn#p/f/11/It-WvZjOddg
republic2011
Posted on July 29, 2011 at 6:22pmFor years, they made Watergate out to be more than it was. This is why they want to keep it secret. The progressives are working hard to draft their own version of historical events, so keeping this secret works to their advantage. Also, I don’t think they really want the American public to see what we have impeached former presidents for. Might get people thinking about what to do about the current POTUS.
Report Post »banjarmon
Posted on July 29, 2011 at 6:19pmRelease ALL of BO’s records before he came to the office he holds NOW…I want to see his School records NOW!!!
Report Post »Exrepublisheep
Posted on July 29, 2011 at 9:09pmNope, Carry on.
Report Post »momprayn
Posted on July 29, 2011 at 6:14pmI’d take Nixon and “Watergate” over treasonous Obama & all his treachery, destruction of America scandal. Nixon loved this country. Watergate was absolutelyl nothing compared to Obama & regime. Hearing that “Fast and Furious” scandal is leading right up to Eric Holder ……and Obama & if so, worse than “Watergate”. Yes, indeed.
Report Post »LovinUSA
Posted on July 29, 2011 at 6:14pmOld usless news
Report Post »vtxphantom
Posted on July 29, 2011 at 6:21pmQuestion to ask is, why now?
Report Post »drybackinpi
Posted on July 29, 2011 at 6:09pmWhen folks who weren’t around to see what Watergate was about and compare it to the coruption going on since BHO– they’re gonna say “So, what’s the big deal?”
Report Post »Captain Crunch
Posted on July 29, 2011 at 6:13pmExactly, like I said I’d take Nixon over Obama any day.
Report Post »Captain Crunch
Posted on July 29, 2011 at 6:08pmThe future words of President Obama, “I am not a crook”
Report Post »I’d rather have Richard Nixon as President than the present Marxis-in-Chief.
Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on July 29, 2011 at 6:04pm36 years late, yet better than never — hopefully when the impeachment and treason trials for Obama begin they will not take that long to be made public.
Report Post »Rick300
Posted on July 29, 2011 at 6:08pmAt least we shall hear the truth here!
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on July 29, 2011 at 8:53pm@Rick 300 — indeed we shall.
Report Post »