All language subtitles for Enemies.The.President.Justice.and.The.FBI.S01E02.720p.WEB.H264-AMRAP[eztv]

We are a nation
of laws, not of men.

That's really important
to our future

and to our independence
and liberty.

Our whole country,
our whole history

is about creating

a system of accountability.

The goal is to prevent

the rise of an autocracy

or a dictatorship.

That's what we're all about.

It's very important that

the FBI be a part
of that system,

and that they collect
information unbiased.

They do it no matter
where it leads.

Chris?

Mr. President,
you have stated flatly

that you did not trade weapons
for hostages.

Just because
you're the president

doesn't mean
you can violate the law.

There are a lot
of lessons from Iran-Contra.

It is possible
to get away with wrongdoing,

and it's possible
to spin it beyond recognition.

It's possible to throw enough
mud on the wall that

nobody knows
what to believe anymore.

I, Ronald Reagan...

William Jefferson Clinton...

Do solemnly swear...

Do solemnly swear...

...and will,
to the best of my ability...

...preserve,
protect, and defend...

...the Constitution
of the United States.

Economic growth is here.

It'll be here.

The Dow Jones
Industrial Average

has climbed
more than 400 points.

My approval rating
stays at 53.

It is the only time that in
the sixth year of a two-term

presidency has a president
had that high a rating.

Michael Jackson,
with appreciation

for the outstanding
example you have set

for the youth of America
and the world.

So this is the dining room.
How many does it seat?

Well, I guess it seats
as many as you want.

It just--I really
couldn't even tell you.

Millions of Americans
celebrated Thanksgiving

with the usual
traditional combination

of turkey, football,

and the 58th annual Macy's
Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Mr. President,
what did you know about

money going to the Contras?

Mr. President,
how much trouble are you in

because of this
Contra revelation?

Did you know--did you
know about the Contras, sir?

Mr. President,
some people might think

you're stonewalling by
refusing to answer questions.

It is taking shape
as one of the most

controversial foreign
policy developments

of President Reagan's
years in office.

Investigations into
the secret double dealing

of arms for Iran and
cash for the Contras.

Word was put out that
President Reagan himself

is among those
subjected to questions.

I am deeply troubled that
the implementation of a policy

aimed at resolving
a truly tragic situation

in the Middle East has
resulted in such controversy.

I'm going to ask Attorney
General Meese to brief you...

Do you still maintain
you didn't make a mistake,

- Mr. President?
- Hold it.

Did you make a mistake
in sending arms to Tehran, sir?

No, and I'm not taking
any more questions.

What about Secretary
Shultz, Mr. President?

That's what I'm gonna say,
what it's all about.

Why don't I tell you what--
what is the situation

and then I'll take
your questions?

Over the weekend...

There were two
controversial issues

when you put them together that
made it an even larger story

because of the
potential crime involved.

The question was whether
the FBI should be involved.

And I had a meeting
with the FBI director.

At that point,
it was turned over to the FBI.

I was approached
by one of my bosses

the day before Thanksgiving
in 1986.

I was working at my desk and
he came up to me and he said,

"What are you doing
this weekend?"

And I said,
"I guess I'm working."

Admiral John Poindexter

has asked to be relieved
of his assignment

as assistant to the President
for National Security Affairs.

The day after Thanksgiving,

I interviewed
National Security Advisor,

Admiral Poindexter.

I was in the FBI for 24 years.

I was one of
the first 40 women

hired by the FBI.

I brought into this interview

an immense respect
for Admiral Poindexter.

I mean, he was
a very accomplished man

professionally.

John Poindexter
was an admiral in the Navy.

He had that military bearing--
very professional, very bright.

Every time I've seen him,
he had a pipe.

The NSC staff
has got to be the catalyst

that keeps the president's
decisions moving along.

Their only loyalty
is to the president.

Typically,
I take copious notes.

I made a specific decision

going to his house that day
that I was not gonna

take my notepad in with me.

I wanted him to feel like
we were having a conversation.

We sat down
in his living room

at his home in
Rockville, Maryland.

It was sort of
an awesome power dynamic

between me as this young,

female FBI agent

with the person that
I'm talking to being,

you know, really educated,
high-level government official.

We were just reduced to two
people having a conversation

where I had more power
than that person had.

My interview to him was really

not about subject matter,

but was about what had he done

with respect to covering up

this covert operation
to support the Contras.

I think he felt

that he needed
to sit down with me.

People who are guilty will
often talk to the investigator

because they don't want you
to think they're guilty.

This was a really big case.

I mean, Admiral Poindexter

was the conduit
to the president.

For those
who've abandoned hope,

we'll restore hope
and we'll welcome them into

a great national crusade
to make America great again.

Ronald Reagan
was beloved by many

and ridiculed by many.

His critics believed

he had no real grasp
of the facts,

no interest in detail.

Soviet combat brigade...

But when it came to
issues that mattered to him,

he had deep-seated convictions
about those issues,

right or wrong.

In 1947,

a Hollywood actor
named Ronald Reagan

is an informant for the FBI.

Reagan is head of
the Screen Actors Guild.

Hoover is launching
his attack on Hollywood

as a hotbed of communism,

and here's
a well-placed informant

to keep him up to date.

There were those
like Reagan who thought that,

you know, this is one
of darkest periods that

we've experienced,
and if we don't act now,

we're all going
to be in trouble.

We're all gonna
be speaking Russian.

When he came to office,

he knew it was
the most dangerous time

since the Cuban Missile Crisis.

This danger will not go away.

It will grow worse,
much worse,

if we fail to take action now.

I'm speaking of Nicaragua,

a Soviet ally
on the American mainland

only two hours flying time
from our own borders.

Certain monies
were made available

to the forces
in Central America,

which are opposing the
Sandinista government there.

There appeared to be
more facts out there.

One agency was doing one thing.

Another agency was doing
another thing.

Certain monies,
a certain amount of monies

was then deposited to
the forces in Central America.

The national security
of all the Americas

is at stake
in Central America.

If we cannot
defend ourselves there,

we cannot expect
to prevail elsewhere.

It was one
of the highest goals

of the Reagan administration

to combat communism
in Central America

through a ragtag
bunch of guerrillas

who are known as the Contras.

They were against communism.

You know the truth about them.

You know who
they're fighting and why.

They are the moral equal
of our founding fathers.

We cannot turn away from them.

It was essential
for the Contras

to be painted
as freedom fighters.

Whose freedom they were
fighting for was unclear,

but they were
fighting nonetheless.

Certain members
of Congress were opposed

to support of
the freedom fighters,

particularly in the light
of the recent Vietnam war.

We simply must not
appropriate one more penny

to wage a war that has
caused our allies to wonder

at our sense of proportion,

that has turned Central America
into an armed camp.

Edward Boland
had attached his name

to an amendment for banning
American aid to the Contras.

It was called
the Boland Amendment.

In simple terms,
the Boland amendment

was a congressional action
that says you cannot provide

military support
to the Contras.

If you did provide
weapons to them,

it's a violation
of an act of Congress.

The reaction of
the Reagan administration

to Congress' ban
on aid to the Contras--

"Screw the Congress.
We're the White House.

We do whatever we want."

And no one believed this
more fervently

than Lieutenant Colonel North.

This lieutenant colonel is not
gonna challenge a decision

of the commander in chief
for whom I still work,

and I am proud to work
for that commander in chief.

And if the commander in chief
tells this lieutenant colonel

to go stand in the corner
and sit on his head,

I will do so.

Oliver North was
a Marine Lieutenant Colonel

who had been assigned

to the National Security
Council staff--

a Vietnam veteran,
a decorated soldier.

On the release point,
the assault element deploys

to fit in their positions.

I think he's a patriot.

Very, very
dedicated to country,

a decorated Marine,
kind of, um,

off-the-books kind of a guy.

These operations were designed

to be secrets from
the American people.

Mr. Nields,
I am at a loss as to how

we could announce it
to the American people

and not have the
Soviets know about it.

North acted like
he had nothing but impatience

and contempt for
rules and regulations.

He took it upon himself

to fulfill the mission
Reagan had given him.

How he went about that was
what got him into trouble.

- Where are these memoranda?
- Which memoranda?

The memoranda
that you sent up

to Admiral Poindexter seeking
the president's approval?

But I think
I shredded most of that.

Did I-did I get them all?

These camps
where the Contras lived

were very remote areas.

You had to have an operation
that would deliver weapons,

supplies, airplanes,
fuel for the airplanes,

in this jungle outpost
in the middle of nowhere.

They created back channels
within the Pentagon

and the CIA
so that arms and supplies

could be shipped
to the Contras

using private companies
that were used

to doing missions
for the American government.

Southern Air Transport,
the uncommon carrier.

As a member of the NSC staff,

I knew that I held
a position of responsibility,

but I knew full well
what my position was.

I was simply a staff member

with a demonstrated ability
to get the job done.

My authority to act
always flowed, I believe,

from my superiors.

My military training
inculcated me--in me--

a strong belief in
the chain of command.

I readily admit that
I was action-oriented,

that I took pride in the fact
that I was counted upon

as a man who
got the job done.

When you're about
to make a decision,

ask yourself the question:

how will this look when
it is on the front page

of The Washington Post?

The transport plane,
apparently loaded with

combat gear, was shot down
Sunday in southern Nicaragua.

Three Americans
were reported killed.

One American survived.

My name is Eugene Hasenfus.

I come from
Marinette, Wisconsin.

The objectives of our
flight into Nicaragua

were to resupply the FDN

and the UNO teams
of the Contras.

People in
Washington right now

are trying
to cover their tracks.

The people involved were
not from our military,

not from any
U.S. Government agency.

The Reagan
administration

denies a connection with that
plane shot down in Nicaragua.

Mr. President,
did you personally ask

third countries to contribute
money to the Contras?

Sam, I made
an opening statement,

and I have said that I'm not
gonna answer any questions

on those things
until this is over.

If I were going to answer
any questions, I'd say no.

Right.

Since you didn't answer
that question--

Eugene Hasenfus,

he was released
around Christmas day.

I was the agent detailed
to go interview him.

They sent me
to Marinette, Wisconsin

in the middle of the winter,

and Marinette is in
the middle of nowhere

on the Michigan border
near Canada.

Eugene Hasenfus had
a very modest attorney.

We met in an insurance
agency building.

And during that interview,

he admitted and started
telling us about who else

was involved and
how there were elements

of the U.S. government involved
in that resupply effort

after it was
prohibited by Congress.

The interview
was so important

that they wouldn't
let me spend the night.

I remember sitting on
an airport in Green Bay.

They deiced my plane
three times

so I could fly into Chicago
and get a red-eye

back to Washington
to tell everyone that

this was broader
than first appears.

I'm waiting to hear
as much as anyone else.

Told you over and over again
everything that I know

about all that took place
and I'm waiting for it.

Did you know what
Colonel North was doing?

No.

No.

Can you say whether
you are aware that

anyone who advised your
campaign had contacts

with Russia during
the course of the election?

Well, I told you,
General Flynn obviously

was dealing,
so that's one person,

but he was dealing--
as he should have been--

During the election?
-No--nobody that I know of.

This had to be
known by others.

This could not be
a rogue operation

run by one man bringing
millions of dollars

from all over the world
and arms

into a jungle camp
in the Honduras,

Nicaraguan border.

This was a very elaborate plan

involving many, many agencies
and many, many people

all over the world,
and it had to be funded.

So who was funding
this thing?

There was some monies

being made available
for some other purpose.

A certain amount of money
was negotiated

with Iran for arms.

The United States
providing the arms...

Transferring the arms,

in effect, selling the arms.

One agency was doing one
thing--transferring the arms--

another agency was
doing another thing--

in effect, selling the arms.

There were certain things--
the United States--

providing Iran with arms.

Why wasn't
the president told?

The president knew
nothing about it

until I reported it to him.

I alerted him
yesterday morning.

The car loaded with
bombs exploded this morning

outside the United States
embassy in Beirut, Lebanon.

This is the worst
attack there has ever been

against the United States
in the Middle East.

In the early '80s,

the group Hezbollah started
a series of bombings

in Lebanon,

and then started
taking Western hostages.

The wives of two
Americans kidnapped in Lebanon

made an appeal
to President Reagan,

calling him obstinate
and asking him

to begin negotiations.

These deeds make so evident

the bestial nature of those
who would assume power

if they could have their way

and drive us out of that area,
that we must be...

The hostage crisis was a huge,

emotional deal
for all Americans,

a feeling of--
of utter helplessness.

Reagan took the hostage crisis
very personally.

Thank you.

Those men deserve
to come home

as quickly as possible.

And I know
that you have not rested

nor will you rest

until every American
is home free.

The very uncertainty
of the hostages' condition

looms larger
with each passing day.

The American hostages included

the CIA station chief
in Beirut,

William Buckley.

The president
listened to a tape

of Buckley being tortured
by his captors.

From that day onward,

the president,
daily, implored.

"Can't you do something
to free the Americans?"

We are convinced that Iran

does have
substantial influence

over some of the groups
which hold our hostages.

Buckley died under torture.

The pressure grew
and grew and grew.

"Do something."

The next move is evidently

up to the United States.

I, William H. Webster,
do solemnly swear

that I will support
and defend...

On paper, William Webster

was at the very top
of the chain of command.

But in reality, in the
second half of the 1980s,

nothing happened at the FBI

that Buck Revell,
the number two man,

didn't have a hand in.

Terrorism had been an issue

with the United States
for some time,

but in 1985,
it seemed that we had a--

a heightening of the attacks.

The United States gives
terrorists no rewards

and no guarantees.

We make no concessions.
We make no deals.

President Reagan
decided that he'd had enough

and he wanted to see
what more could be done.

There was
an extraordinary meeting.

President Reagan himself
essentially said,

I am willing to break the law
for the sake of the hostages.

It was the belief

of the President
of the United States

that the way
to free the hostages

was to pay ransom
in the form of lethal,

sophisticated,
American weapons

to the Iranian regime.

Iran had a great deal of
influence with the Hezbollah.

The objective was
to try to get Iran

to use its influence
with the Hezbollah

to return the hostages
that had been taken.

If they would
use their influence

to try to help us
get the hostages back,

we would provide them
with weapons.

I was seriously concerned.

I discussed it
with Director Webster.

Webster asked
Attorney General Ed Meese.

Of course it's legal.

Webster takes this
back to Revell and says,

"Ed Meese doesn't seem
to have a problem with it."

It went completely
against everything that

Ronald Reagan had
ever said in public about

how to deal with terrorism.

Reagan's top advisors
were their most vocal

about telling the president
that he couldn't do this.

"This is illegal and
it's bad politics,

and you can't
just wash it away.

It's just a bad idea
and you shouldn't do it."

And Reagan's response was,

"I know, but..."

Reagan was intent on doing
whatever it would take.

Members of the
Reagan administration--

these are men
from another generation

who are note takers.

What seems clear is that
the other American hostages

in Lebanon are not likely
to be released this week.

The notes did show
that President Reagan

had knowledge
of what was going on.

After the crash in
the jungles of Nicaragua

exposes the fact that

the United States is
illegally backing the Contras,

a little newspaper in Beirut

reveals that Oliver North

has been shipping weapons

to the Iranian
Revolutionary Guard.

There are a number
of reports tonight that

the United States
arranged for the shipment

of military parts to Iran
as part of a deal

for the release
of American hostages.

Mr. President, do we
have a deal going with Iran

of some sort?

No comment, but could I suggest
an appeal to all of you

with regard to this
that the speculation,

the commenting and all,

on a story that came out
of the Middle East

and that--one that
has no foundation.

Mr. President,

how can you justify
this duplicity?

The president
became more and more concerned

about the allegations.

The president decided
to give a speech.

A charge has been made
that the United States

has shipped weapons to Iran
as ransom payment

for the release of
American hostages in Lebanon,

that the United States
undercut its allies

and secretly violated
American policy

against trafficking
with terrorists.

Those charges
are utterly false.

"We have not traded
weapons for hostages."

That was the essence
of the entire speech.

To my mind,
that was not accurate.

I raised it with Director
Webster, and he said,

"It's not an issue of which

we have jurisdiction
or responsibility."

That concern was waved off,
and of course,

the president went ahead
and made that statement.

The United States
has not swapped

boatloads and planeloads
of American weapons

for the return
of American hostages,

and we will not.

If there is a crime
that's been committed

by a president,

is it the FBI's job

to make sure the president's
not above the law?

If there's an allegation,

if there's a predication
for a case,

hell yeah the FBI
is gonna investigate that.

There was a key
meeting the week after

the Iran revelation.

Attorney General Ed Meese
decided to take over

to make sure this crisis

didn't end up
destroying the presidency.

Meese was
the attorney general,

but he also
considered himself

a close colleague
and friend of Reagan's.

His responsibility is to see
that justice is served.

It's not a hat you can just
take off when you want to.

But he decided that
his chief responsibility

was to serve the president
as an advisor.

Why don't I tell you what--
what is the situation

and then I'll take
your questions?

Meese had sent
his own top advisors

to go and look through
North's files.

One of them discovered
what came to be known as

the diversion memo.

The diversion memo is probably

the most important single
document in the whole scandal.

The diversion memo
is discovered

by two senior Justice
Department officials.

They called Ed Meese,
went and had lunch with him,

and told him about the memo.

Finding the memo was
like a nuclear explosion.

Meese acted like
he was shocked and, you know,

muttered some sort of an oath.

"I'm gonna figure out
what happened

and how we're gonna
deal with it."

What is involved is that

in the course
of the arms transfers,

certain monies
were made available

to the forces
in Central America,

which are opposing

the Sandinista
government there.

Oliver North
came up with the idea

to jack up the prices
from the Iran arms sales,

take the profits,
and use those to supply

the Contras with weapons that
he couldn't get officially.

To combine two totally
separate covert operations.

To link them together with
this diversion of funds

was really what brought
the whole house of cards down.

The Reagan
administration on this issue

of arms shipments to Iran
is a portrait of confusion

and disarray on policy.

The arrangement,
apparently,

was a violation of
administration policy.

After a couple
of days of his own inquiry,

he realized that he could say

the only people who knew
about it were Oliver North

and John Poindexter,
and neither of them

would choose to say that the
president specifically knew

about this diversion.

I was not fully informed on the
nature of one of the activities

undertaken in connection
with this initiative.

The president knew
nothing about it

until I reported it to him.

I alerted him
yesterday morning.

But what Ed Meese,
in particular,

managed to do here was
to make that diversion

the center of the story.

It played on the famous
Watergate formulation of,

what did the president know
and when did he know it?

I had no prior knowledge

of the Watergate break-in.

The diversion became
the core of the story.

A whole series
of other activities

that Reagan was
very well aware of

and that he, himself,
believed violated the law

were swept aside.

So the question became,

did the president actually
not know about it?

Let's dig into that and let's
figure out that side of things.

This was what provided Meese
and the administration

with an out.

They could say
the crux of the matter

was this diversion.

"We have done
our investigation

and we have uncovered
this momentous development.

We can say for a certainty

that the president
never knew about it.

Having discovered it,
the president acted

firmly and quickly."

Thank you so very, very much.

Lieutenant Colonel
Oliver North

has been relieved
of his duties

on the National Security
Council staff.

Although not
directly involved,

Vice Admiral John Poindexter

has asked to be relieved
of his assignment

as Assistant to the President
for National Security Affairs.

Not directly involved...

Not directly involved...

The day after Thanksgiving,

I interviewed
National Security Advisor

Admiral Poindexter.

To call my meeting with
Admiral Poindexter pleasant

is really a superficial
characterization,

so I'm sure for him,
it was very unpleasant.

The questions
were really about,

did he know what
Oliver North was doing?

He made it clear that he did
not have detailed knowledge

of what Oliver North
was doing.

I wanted to know whether
he had destroyed any records.

When I interview someone
in terms of looking

at different cues to see
if they might be

telling a lie,

most of the time,
I just rely on

inconsistencies.

When Admiral Poindexter
told me that

he could have stopped Ollie,

I have to say that maybe the
hair on the back of my neck

kinda stood up
a little bit because

I do look for inconsistencies

and, you know, I thought, well,

why would he say that?

Why would he volunteer that
he could've stopped Ollie?

Stopped him from what?

You're accused by other
administration officials.

They're saying you shredded
documents earlier in the week

that possibly
could've concealed

some of the Iran dealings.

Can you comment on that?

I would refer those questions
to my attorney upstairs.

The FBI's
involvement in this case

came after some
destruction of documents,

after Attorney General
Edwin Meese

had done
a fact-finding inquiry

and that in and of itself,
was rather unusual.

Some critics have said

that when you did
a fact-finding mission,

it enabled Admiral Poindexter
and Colonel North

to destroy National
Security Council documents.

No, that is certainly
not a valid criticism

because we were never looking--

we were never conducting
an investigation.

We were never conducting
even a fact-finding mission.

We were trying simply to pull
all the information together

for a presentation to Congress.

You had mentioned
the investigation

started a little late.

Do you think that the
attorney general was delaying?

I can't--you know,
I do, but I can't.

I mean, absolutely do,
but I can't--

I didn't ever interview him.

I think it's
a natural tendency

when you have a president
that you love and admire

to wanna think the best of him,

to protect him.

I think Admiral Poindexter
and Edwin Meese both did that.

Now, Poindexter is
a very technically savvy guy,

very, very bright guy.

Admiral Poindexter
established

a secret back channel

that he and Lieutenant
Colonel North would use

as they schemed.

It was an early form of email
known as PROFS.

This was '85.
Nobody had email systems.

This computer system
is another example

of innovation at IBM.

We could sit
at our computer

and type out a message to the
National Security Advisor.

That's when I learned,
by the way,

that typing
in all caps is yelling.

We realized that
there were deleted messages

from Admiral Poindexter.

In the days just
before the press conference,

his file consisted of more
than 5,000 email messages.

The next day,
after the press conference,

his file contained
zero emails.

It sort of went
to his state of mind

that he was
destroying information.

Poindexter and Oliver North

were not understanding why,

when they pushed
that delete button,

it really didn't get deleted.

The problem was
the backup tape.

The FBI was able
to get access to that tape

and reconstruct
the entire record

of Poindexter's and everybody
else's communications

relating to Iran-Contra.

I believe it's
mentioned in your PROF message,

which was not deleted.

That old delete button.

And we were able
to retrieve those messages,

that certainly illustrated
that Poindexter

knew what North was doing.

And as--as North's boss,

was approving it.

It shows you what people knew,
who else knew it,

the level of knowledge
by other people.

The White House's
National Security Advisor,

John Poindexter, has been
secretly masterminding

the shipment of spare parts
and arms to Iran.

Top officials around President
Reagan plotted a cover-up.

The emails that we recovered

actually solidified what
we thought we knew.

Oliver North was
running a very large

and illegal operation.

President Reagan was clearly

the senior official.

He had knowledge
of what was going on.

Stop the killing!
Stop the lies.

In secretly sending
weapons to Iran

and looking after
taxpayer money,

President Reagan failed to do

what the Constitution
required.

This is human blood upon
the pillars of the White House.

Selling arms to the
Iranians after they blew up

the Beirut barracks,
after they blew up

the Beirut embassy
is the most immoral thing.

That's like selling
Zyklon B to the Germans

after we found out
the Holocaust was underway.

Mr. Reagan is ultimately
responsible for what happened.

When you have
a prisoner of war,

you don't endanger the lives
of the whole country

to get one man out of prison,
but if he did it,

it's the biggest mistake
that's been made

by a president in a long time.

I was horrified that, um,

that the Reagan administration

knew that Congress

did not support the funding
of the Contras.

We had a law in place,
the Arms Export Control Act,

which we knew

we shouldn't be
shipping arms to Iran.

The administration
ignored that,

and not only ignored it,

but conducted those activities

behind the front door
of the White House.

We think that
we have a statutory basis

to believe that a federal law
may have been violated.

If there is any
criminality whatsoever,

all of that matter will be
investigated thoroughly

by an independent counsel,

as I found a statutory basis

to believe that it was
appropriate under the law

for an independent counsel
to proceed.

Good afternoon.

The grand jury
indicted four defendants:

John M. Poindexter,
Oliver L. North,

Richard V. Secord,
and Albert Hakim.

Judge Lawrence Walsh
built an organization

of FBI agents and attorneys,

which was quite remarkable.

I was privileged
to work with him.

The FBI and
the independent counsel

was looking at the
president's culpability.

These things don't happen
in a vacuum.

It was important to find out
how much everyone knew,

including the president.

Without that
independent FBI,

we don't have
a criminal justice system.

If there's not a federal
agency that follows the law

and is unbiased,
and unimpeded,

there's no justice
in our country.

The independent
counsel really

doesn't report to anyone.

Our case was criticized
for the amount of money

that was spent
on the investigation

and for how long it went on.

And I have this witch-hunt

constantly going on

for over 12 months now.

The independent
counsel is really important

in our system that
drives the investigation.

You need to be able to have
sort of an independent review

of this kind of
potential misconduct.

The president today
tweeting, "The appointment

of the Special Counsel
is totally unconstitutional."

One of the biggest
political witch-hunts

in the history
of this country.

The congressional
hearings into Iran-Contra

in the summer of 1987 were
an absolute spectacle.

This was, I think
in many people's minds,

going to be Watergate two.

The question was,

would North and Poindexter
be loyal,

or would they give
the president up?

All I know is what
I've read in the papers

and I don't believe
most of that.

I mean, yesterday, I was
offered capital punishment.

Yes.
-The death penalty, yeah.

I think that's
a little extreme, don't you?

Do you solemnly swear...

In the FBI,
we have a saying.

"Everyone talks."

Eventually,
everyone will talk.

- I do.
- Please be seated.

You've talked here
often and eloquently

about the need for a democratic
outcome in Nicaragua.

There's no disagreement
on that.

There is disagreement over how
best to achieve that objective.

It's hard to imagine anything

that would give
our allies more cause

to consider us unreliable

than that we say
one thing in public

and secretly do the opposite,

and that's exactly
what was done

when arms were sold to Iran

and arms were swapped
for hostages.

We do live in
a democracy, don't we?

We do, sir.
Thank God.

In which it is the people,

not one Marine
Lieutenant Colonel,

that get to decide
the important policy decisions

for the nation.

Ollie North
was at the heart

of turning the whole scenario
upside down,

and North proceeded
for the next several days

to put the committees
entirely on the defensive

and to make himself out,
at least to his supporters,

as the hero.

For him, the mission
was what was critical.

How you accomplished it
was almost unimportant.

Like with so much
on this scandal,

half of the country
was repelled by that,

and half of the country
just thought this was

the greatest thing ever.

Ollie had done
the Lord's work

and done
the president's bidding.

And why is he being held up
as accountable for all this?

I still to this day, counsel,
don't see anything wrong

with taking
the ayatollah's money

and sending it to support the
Nicaraguan freedom fighters.

North, American hero!

North, American hero!

Olliemania was
what resulted from this.

Ollie, Ollie, he's our man!
He's the hero of our land!

He has served
on Ronald Reagan's

National Security Council,

the host of The Oliver North
Radio Show, Oliver North.

There's the Colonel.

So you--you really are
Oliver North.

To the best of
my recollection, yes.

I'm running for Senate

because Washington's
out of control,

and we need
to make some changes.

His prosecutors
said he was a cross

between Hitler and Joe Isuzu.

A clumsy fanatic.
If you agree, vote no.

His supporters see a loyal
and dedicated Marine

sacrificing himself for
his president and his country.

If you agree,
vote yes for "Pardon."

Oliver North, hero, villain,
criminal or patriot?

What do you think?

North was a dangerous fool,

who was given a dangerous
amount of power.

He was a zealot,

and such men are dangerous.

Do you remember
shredding documents

when the representatives of
the Attorney General's office

had left for their lunch?

I remember shredding documents

while they were in there
reading documents.

Shredding them
in their presence?

Well, I mean,
they were sitting in my office,

and the shredder
was right outside,

and I walked out
and shredded documents.

He was known as
a serial exaggerator.

He lied routinely
to colleagues, to supervisors.

He certainly lied to Congress.

I will tell you right now,
counsel,

and all the members
here gathered

that I misled the Congress.

As soon
as North realized

that he might face jail time,

that there might be actual

criminal consequences
for what he did,

he made sure to portray
what he did

as being on orders
of Ronald Reagan.

I did a lot of things
and wanted to stand up and say

that I'm proud of them.

I don't want you to think,
counsel,

that I went about this
all on my own.

A lot of questions
unresolved

and not yet even posed.

We will want to know a lot
more about the question of:

on what authority did he act?

The hearing will please
come to order.

Everybody was
anxiously waiting

during the congressional
hearings

for Poindexter to say

whether or not he had
ever told the president

about the diversion.

He was the guy who saw
the president the most often

and dealt with him most
directly on Iran-Contra.

I think it's--you know,
an important point here

is that on this whole issue,

you know, the buck stops
here with me.

I made the decision.

I--I felt that I had
the authority to do it.

I thought it was a good idea.

I was convinced that
the president would,

in the end,
think it was a good idea,

but I did not want him to be
associated with the decision.

Poindexter was someone
who unhesitatingly

took responsibility
for his actions onto himself

and in fact took the burden
of the potential guilt

of Ronald Reagan
on himself as well.

And so the answer is
you did not tell

the President
of the United States?

I did not.

Poindexter turned out
to be a lot more loyal

to Ronald Reagan
than Oliver North was.

Loyalty designed
to protect the president

from serious
political fallout.

In Watergate,
people gave up the president.

The people that were there

basically had no intention
to protect Nixon.

Daughter.
-Hi, nice to meet you.

It's nice to meet you.

The difference
between Watergate

and Iran-Contra--
we never got to Reagan.

And finally, Mr. President,

about the Iran-Nicaraguan
connection,

some may wonder
which was worse,

your knowing
or your not knowing.

Well, all I can say is
I didn't know.

And, well, we're trying
to find out what happened,

because none of us know.

To a certain degree,
Reagan benefitted

from the image that
many people had of him

as kind of the amiable dunce.

Back to work!

That actually played
to his advantage

when it came to the
plausibility of his denials.

I think about this
and I think,

is this the way we want
our government to run?

It should be transparent.
It should be accountable.

When there's
a special operation,

you can do that, but you
need to advise Congress.

You can't just do it
in a vacuum.

We have a process.

Our institutions have survived

this long for a reason.

We can't just, like,
be fast and loose

with the rules here.

I want my government to be
at least as good as me.

Dick Cheney, then
a congressman from Wyoming,

held the point of view that
in matters of foreign policy

and any time of crisis,

the powers of the presidency

are above and beyond
what any of us might think

would be a limit.

He was more like a king than
the president we think of.

If you don't obey the laws
that are put in place

to keep all of us
on the up and up,

then where are you?

A few months ago,
I told the American people

I did not trade arms
for hostages.

My heart and my best intentions
still tell me that's true,

but the facts and the evidence
tell me it is not.

What began as a strategic
opening to Iran

deteriorated
in its implementation

into trading arms
for hostages.

The president suffered
some temporary drops

in his approval rankings,

and he left office
on a high note.

The vice president
was seriously implicated

on both sides of the scandal

but went on to be elected
president.

For an endless,
enduring dream

and a thousand
points of light.

Poindexter
was found guilty.

His case was appealed,

and the court dropped
any further proceedings.

The same thing more or less
happened to Oliver North.

North was convicted
on several counts in 1989,

but those convictions were
overturned two years later.

Six individuals were
about to be put on trial,

but were pardoned
by President Bush

on Christmas Eve, 1992.

President Bush's pardon
of Iran-Contra defendants

undermines the principle

that no man is above the law.

It demonstrates
that powerful people

with powerful allies
can commit serious crimes

in high office.

If you are popular
enough as a president

or if you can command
a base effectively,

you can get away with a lot.

The people,
my people are so smart.

And you know what else
they say about my people?

The polls, they say I have
the most loyal people.

Did you ever see that?

Where I could stand
in the middle of 5th Avenue

and shoot somebody, and I
wouldn't lose any voters, okay?

It's, like, incredible.

From President Trump,

a vision of unlimited
presidential power,

tweeting about
the Russia investigation.

"I have the absolute right
to pardon myself."

The lesson
from Watergate

that we came away with was,

yes, our highest officials
had broken the law,

but they had been brought
to account.

The good guys had won,
the cavalry had come.

But I think after Iran-Contra,

you--you had
a very different outcome.

It is possible to get away
with wrongdoing.

What's to stop any president

from doing whatever
they want to do?