Word: rodino
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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Even as the special prosecutor was forced to take legal steps to compel the turnover of White House evidence, the House Judiciary Committee, headed by New Jersey Democrat Peter Rodino, received a forward assist in its investigation of presidential conduct. Moving swiftly, federal courts on two levels ordered that a grand jury report dealing specifically with Nixon's Watergate role must be given this week to Rodino for the impeachment inquiry...
...appeals judges had examined the summary of facts listed by the grand jury and found them impressive enough to warrant quick transferral to Rodino...
Although the Rodino staffs requests for documents thus had specific and legitimate aims, they were still portrayed by Nixon and St. Clair as too vague and extensive. Nixon said at Houston that the committee wanted to "bring a U-Haul trailer" up to the White House and carry out the presidential files. Members of Congress were bristling at such exaggerations. There was overwhelming sentiment in the Congress that it would not tolerate Nixon's withholding of evidence from the Rodino committee. Nevertheless, Ziegler insisted that the White House would not supply the evidence requested by the Rodino staff until...
...however, to provoke a partisan split within the committee. He argued that he must be allowed to be present and to cross-examine any witnesses whom the committee calls as it attempts to determine what charges, if any, to lodge against the President. Disputing St. Clair's argument, Rodino contended that his committee's investigation is not a trial or an adversary proceeding; it is akin to a fact-finding grand jury probe in which potential defendants are not represented by counsel because no one has yet been charged. Yet Republicans on the committee had a point...
...more volatile members of the committee almost jumped at St. Clair's bait. Such liberal Democrats as Father Robert Drinan of Massachusetts, California's Jerome Waldie and Michigan's John Conyers Jr. wanted immediately to issue subpoenas for every bit of evidence that Doar was seeking. But Chairman Rodino called a caucus of the committee's Democrats and urged the hotheads to cool off. There would be plenty of time to issue subpoenas, he argued, once the White House intention to cut off all further evidence was totally clear. Meanwhile, the committee staff was awaiting a chance to examine...