On March 19, 1973 James McCord sent the letter below to Judge Sirica.
The lies of the Nixon administration began to unravel and without their ability to abstruct justice it was just a matter of time before everything was exposed, 508 days later Nixon resigned.
Today felt like the day that Judge Sirica made the letter public.
Blood is in the water. Matthews, Meadows and Olbermann are on the scent.
Cheney and Rove are whistling past the graveyard. They are scared and it is showing.
And now the timeline for policy is suspect, all their justifications for torture are being laid bare. Suskind is showing that torture was not used to stop a plot but to provide a "ex post facto" excuse for the war in Iraq. All of those who aspire for Pultizer are finding their targets. Editors who felt that they were absent 8 years ago now have a chance to address history.
All of those who disagreed with the policy from within the administration are now available to settle scores.
Ironically the Bush administration was afraid that they would lose power because they didn't have a good reason to invade Iraq, after the intelligence on the WMD was found to be fabrications of a petty thief and became desperate to coerce information that wasn't there. Wasn't there on the 20th waterboarding, wasn't there on the 183rd time.
After McCord sent the letter the Nixon administration's power to control and stonewall was compromised and soon it was every one was out to save their own skin. White House Counsel John Dean led the way.
Now the lies of the Bush administration are being exposed and unlike Libby they have no power to protect their underlings.
Expensive litigation, public shame and incarceration. Expect to see them fold, and they didn't even face waterboarding.
Cheney and Rove can see it coming and they are scared. There is blood in the water and the sharks are catching the scent, just like they did when McCord's letter was made public.
The following is the full text of the letter that McCord wrote to Judge Sirica during the Watergate trial:
James W. McCord, Jr.
7 Winder Court
Rockville , Maryland 20850
TO: JUDGE SIRICA March 19, 1973
Certain questions have been posed to me from your honor through the probation officer, dealing with details of the case, motivations, intent and mitigating circumstances.
In endeavoring to respond to these questions, I am whipsawed in a variety of legalities. First, I may be called before a Senate Committee investigating this matter. Secondly, I may be involved in a civil suit, and thirdly there may be a new trial at some future date. Fourthly, the probation officer may be called before the Senate Committee to present testimony regarding what may otherwise be a privileged communication between defendant and Judge, as I understand it; if I answered certain questions to the probation officer, it is possible such answers could become a matter of record in the Senate and there-fore available for use in the other proceedings just described. My answers would, it would seem to me, to violate my fifth amendment rights, and possibly my 6 th amendment right to counsel and possibly other rights.
On the other hand, to fail to answer your questions may appear to be non-cooperation, and I can therefore expect a much more severe sentence.
There are further considerations which are not to be lightly taken. Several members of my family have expressed fear for my life if I disclose knowledge of the facts in this matter, either publicly or to any government representative. Whereas I do not share their concerns to the same degree, nevertheless, I do believe that retaliatory measures will be taken against me, my family, and my friends should I disclose such facts. Such retaliation could destroy careers, income, and reputations of persons who are innocent of any guilt whatever.
Be that as it may, in the interests of justice, and in the interests of restoring faith in the criminal justice system, which faith has been severely damaged in this case, I will state the following to you at this time which I hope may be of help to you in meting out justice in this case:
1. There was political pressure applied to the defendants to plead guilty and remain silent.
2. Perjury occurred during the trial in matters highly material to the very structure, orientation, and impact of the government's case, and to the motivation and intent of the defendants.
3. Others involved in the Watergate operation were not identified during the trial, when they could have been by those testifying.
4. The Watergate operation was not a CIA operation. The Cubans may have been misled by others into believing that it was a CIA operation. I know for a fact that it was not.
5. Some statements were unfortunately made by a witness which left the Court with the impression that he was stating untruths, or withholding facts of his knowledge, when in fact only honest errors of memory were involved.
6. My motivations were different than those of the others involved, but were not limited to, or simply those offered in my defense during the trial. This is no fault of my attorneys, but of the circumstances under which we had to prepare my defense.
Following sentence, I would appreciate the opportunity to talk with you privately in chambers. Since I cannot feel confident in talking with an FBI agent, in testifying before a Grand Jury whose U.S. Attorneys work for the Department of Justice, or in talking with other government representatives, such a discussion with you would be of assistance to me.
I have not discussed the above with my attorneys as a matter of protection for them.
I give this statement freely and voluntarily, fully realizing that I may be prosecuted for giving a false statement to a Judicial Official, if the statements herein are knowingly untrue. The statements are true and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief.
James W. McCord, Jr. <5>
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