"Deep Throat" reveals himself

[Adam Smith]

Something I'm not getting here.

Deep Throat provided Woodward and Bernstein with valuable information about how the White House staff and Committee to Reelect the President (CREEP - Best. Acronym. Ever.) worked. Woodward and Bernstein sold the story to Post editor Ben Bradlee on the basis of this very well placed, but still anonymous source. But how is the number 2 guy at the FBI (who probably wanted the #1 job, and therefore may have had mixed motives) supposed to be an authority on how the White House and CREEP worked? I would have expected the source to be somebody inside the White House or CREEP. Makes me wonder if the initial investigative work was much more playing a hunch than anybody let on at the time.

[DanS]

Originally posted by Agathon
The Neds of this world are already calling him a traitor. I bet that our own Ned will soon join the denunciation of this evil man.

I bet that this guy was conflicted about doing it. In our system, the FBI is supposed to be apolitical and a big danger from the FBI's perspective is that the political leadership would view the FBI as a potentially hostile political institution. The FBI shouldn't be in the business of trying to bring presidents down and we now find out that an FBI officer was one prime mover in the first ever resignation of a US president. It is a troubling precedent. On the other hand, it was Nixon himself who put the investigation on the path to create this bad precedent.

The same thing goes for the CIA and the military, for instance. They are not to work against the president.

[notyoueither]

Originally posted by Adam Smith
Something I'm not getting here.

Deep Throat provided Woodward and Bernstein with valuable information about how the White House staff and Committee to Reelect the President (CREEP - Best. Acronym. Ever.) worked. Woodward and Bernstein sold the story to Post editor Ben Bradlee on the basis of this very well placed, but still anonymous source. But how is the number 2 guy at the FBI (who probably wanted the #1 job, and therefore may have had mixed motives) supposed to be an authority on how the White House and CREEP worked? I would have expected the source to be somebody inside the White House or CREEP. Makes me wonder if the initial investigative work was much more playing a hunch than anybody let on at the time.

From what I've heard, he was involved with investigating the break in. That might have given him some clues about how the rest of it fit together, even if what he suspected/knew could not result in criminal charges.

[Berzerker]

But how is the number 2 guy at the FBI (who probably wanted the #1 job, and therefore may have had mixed motives) supposed to be an authority on how the White House and CREEP worked?

I think it started with a break-in at the Democrat Hqts so the FBI was involved, and he was in the chain of info as the FBI investigated. Somebody in the WH may have known at the time or shortly after the break-in, a bigshot at the FBI would have to figure out what was going on.

[Berzerker]

[notyoueither]

Originally posted by DanS


I bet that this guy was conflicted about doing it. In our system, the FBI is supposed to be apolitical and a big danger from the FBI's perspective is that the political leadership would view the FBI as a potentially hostile political institution. The FBI shouldn't be in the business of trying to bring presidents down and we now find out that an FBI officer was one prime mover in the first ever resignation of a US president. It is a troubling precedent. On the other hand, it was Nixon himself who put the investigation on the path to create this bad precedent.

Only if you value loyalty over your Constitution.

[notyoueither]

Originally posted by Berzerker

Indeed.

[DanS]

The constitution only mentions high crimes and misdemeanors and he is not the judge of that.

I'm not saying I disagree with his action, just that it would be a much tougher decision than might be expected otherwise. Once the FBI starts sliming the president, there's a huge problem. We've not had angels as presidents in the past, but it hasn't brought about constitutional crises.

[notyoueither]

I'm puzzled, Dan, did Nixon not break the law?

[DanS]

He did. Like a lot of presidents before him.

[notyoueither]

Did many presidents before him break the law in attempts to influence, or cover up attempts to influence, domestic political campaigns for the presidency?

[GePap]

Originally posted by DanS
He did. Like a lot of presidents before him.

And thank god finally someone talked. Now only if more people talked.

Lets not thought assume this guy was "clean". He did go to jail for being involved in spying on the antiwar movement.

[DanS]

Did many presidents before him break the law in attempts to influence, or cover up attempts to influence, domestic political campaigns for the presidency?

I don't know. We've had a lot of presidents. It doesn't strike me as plausible that he was the worst in that regard. Maybe I'm being overly cynical.

[notyoueither]

If a president did that (broke the law to influence an election) wouldn't you want someone who had a clue what was going on to speak up?

[DanS]

On balance, probably yes. But depending on the circumstances and the nature of the crime, I would be conflicted about it.