4.19.2011
U.S. v. Nixon - Was it okay to demand the tapes?
In this case, Nixon was involved in a scandal because his Committee to Reelect the President broke into the Democratic National Committee's headquarters and stole some documents. This committee was believed to have orders from Nixon to do so, so an investigation was launched. During the investigation, it was found that Nixon had recorded a lot of the conversations he had in the Oval Office, which could turn up some evidence for the case. When asked for the tapes, Nixon refused to give them, claiming executive privilege, which basically means that since he was the president, he could do what he wants. The Supreme Court ordered them, and when Nixon finally gave them over, a lot of tape was missing, and some was erased. In this case, executive privilege was not respected, and it turned out to be for a good reason.The court said that executive privilege would have made sense if it was a claim to protect "military, diplomatic or sensitive national security secrets..."
The tapes indicated some secrets that Nixon did not want leaked, and that the public certainly did not like. I think this was the right choice because while some White House documents and policies should be kept secret, if there is enough reason to believe something is being violated, there should be an investigation, and if something turns up, it should be made public.
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court case
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