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>> NARRATOR: Dangerous
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missions...
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>> ALLAN LICHTMAN: It involved
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a rogue agency accountable
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to absolutely nobody.
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>> NARRATOR: ...covert
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operations...
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>> PETER KORNBLUH: Operations
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were being done without the
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knowledge of the American
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public, but in their name.
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>> NARRATOR: ...and
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assassinations of American
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citizens...
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>> WEBSTER TARPLEY: American
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citizens are killed by drones.
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>> NARRATOR: ...at the order
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of the President of the United
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States.
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>> DOUG WEAD: Only a few years
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ago, a President of the United
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States could not wiretap your
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phone without the signature of a
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judge.
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Now he can kill you without the
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signature of a judge.
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>> NARRATOR: Just how far can
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our nation's chief executive go
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in the interest of national
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security?
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And how much information does
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the public have a right to know?
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>> KATIE PAVLICH: There are
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cover-ups that go on in
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Washington, DC, and government
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every single day.
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>> MARTIN MORGAN: It could have
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resulted-- at any time-- in
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nuclear war.
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>> NARRATOR: There are those
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who believe in the existence
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of a book.
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A book that contains the most
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highly guarded secrets of the
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United States of America.
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A book...
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whose very existence is known
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to only a select few.
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But if such a book exists,
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what would it contain?
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Secret orders?
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Secret missions?
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Secret crimes?
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Does there really exist
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America's Book of Secrets?
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>> NARRATOR: Benghazi, Libya.
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September 11, 2012.
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On the 11th anniversary of
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the most devastating terrorist
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attack in U.S. history...
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(men shouting)
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(machine-gun fire)
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...the United States consulate
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is overrun by militant rebels
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and set ablaze.
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American Ambassador Christopher
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Stevens and three diplomatic
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aides are murdered.
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The following morning, President
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Barack Obama gives a statement
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in the Rose Garden, condemning
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the attacks, and vowing to bring
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the perpetrators to justice.
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>> PRESIDENT OBAMA: And make no
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mistake, we will work with the
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Libyan government to bring to
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justice the killers who attacked
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our people.
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>> REP. MIKE ROGERS: The attack
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in Libya appears to be a very
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coordinated, military-style
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attack.
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This was not a-a demonstration
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gone bad.
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>> NARRATOR: Five days later,
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United Nations Ambassador Susan
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Rice appears on five Sunday
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talk shows and blames the attack
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on a spontaneous reaction to
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an anti-Muslim YouTube video.
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>> RICE: What sparked the recent
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violence was the airing on the
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Internet of a very hateful,
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very offensive video.
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>> NARRATOR: But when
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intelligence reports later
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indicate that the president and
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his staff had earlier evidence
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that the attack was the work of
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al Qaeda, questions begin to be
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asked.
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Was the American public being
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told the truth?
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>> WEAD: After the embassy was
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attacked in Benghazi, a lot
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of people, uh, questioned what
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the White House knew and when
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they knew it.
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>> LICHTMAN: Some claim that
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the terrorist attack was covered
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up by the Obama administration.
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Now, why would the Obama
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administration want to cover
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this up?
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This attack occurred right
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before a presidential election.
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The last thing the Obama
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administration would want would
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be embarrassing information
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coming out on the eve of the
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election.
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>> PAVLICH: They blame a YouTube
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video for sparking the attack,
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but al Qaeda terrorists took
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responsibility for it.
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>> MICHAEL ISIKOFF: There
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clearly were intelligence
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failures; there clearly was
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great confusion about what had
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happened.
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>> MICHAEL GENOVESE: The
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administration made a mistake.
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They did not have sufficient
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security.
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People said, "We need more
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security..." they didn't get it.
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>> NARRATOR: Could the murders
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have been prevented?
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And why was President Obama
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reluctant to blame al Qaeda?
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>> PAVLICH: The U.S. consulate
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had asked for multiple rounds
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of security, was denied it.
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The cover-up part comes in when
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the administration is
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campaigning on the idea that
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al Qaeda is no longer a threat
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to the United States.
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>> TARPLEY: The goal of the
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Benghazi September 11
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assassinations was to embarrass
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Obama, to refute his contention
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that al Qaeda was defeated.
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Al Qaeda, of course, is not
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defeated.
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>> PAVLICH: Well, the Vice
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President of the United States
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told the American people that
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it was an intelligence failure.
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But they had been told that
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the YouTube video had sparked
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the attack.
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>> NARRATOR: Did the Obama
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administration really conceal
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al Qaeda's involvement in the
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attack on the U.S. consulate for
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fear it would undermine the
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president's bid for re-election?
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Or was there another-- perhaps
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even more secret-- reason for
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the administration's reluctance
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to admit the truth?
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>> WEAD: A president would
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justify a cover-up if national
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security was at stake.
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But the problem comes in...
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(chuckles)
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...when is the national security
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at stake?
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And I think presidents are very
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elastic about that.
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>> NARRATOR: There are some who
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believe the attack in Benghazi
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was at the center of an even
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greater presidential cover-up--
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one involving a secret CIA
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outpost located approximately
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a mile from the U.S. consulate.
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>> PAVLICH: When President
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Obama came into office, he
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immediately signed an executive
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order stopping what they call
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"enhanced interrogation torture"
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at CIA facilities overseas.
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What came up in the Benghazi
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cover-up is that the CIA was
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actually holding prisoners in
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the consulate in Benghazi,
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which maybe was a reason why
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there was an attack.
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>> LICHTMAN: Apparently,
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the compound in Benghazi was not
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really a consulate.
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Many believe it was primarily
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a CIA operation.
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And nobody exactly knows what
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the CIA was doing in Benghazi.
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And whether CIA activities
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were involved with sparking this
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terrorist attack on the
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compound.
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>> NARRATOR: Is it possible
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that the CIA facility near
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the Benghazi consulate was
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the real target of the al Qaeda
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attack on September 11?
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If so, why?
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Was the compound involved in
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covert operations?
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And is this the secret being
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covered up by the White House?
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>> LICHTMAN: Some have
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speculated that the CIA in Libya
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was recruiting rebel fighters.
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In other words, if there is
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a cover-up with respect to
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Benghazi, it likely comes from
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the CIA and, uh, is still
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ongoing.
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>> TARPLEY: Ambassador Stevens
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had his last meeting with a
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Turkish diplomat.
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Now why would the U.S.
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ambassador be meeting a Turkish
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diplomat in the terror capitol
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of Libya?
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The CIA was in Benghazi to
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direct the shipment of weaponry
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from Gaddafi's arms depots and
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guerilla fighters to Turkey so
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those could be sent into Syria
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to overthrow Assad.
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The embarrassing thing about
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this, of course, for the Obama
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administration is that they are
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caught doing this.
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>> SENATOR RAND PAUL: Is the
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U.S. involved with any, uh,
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procuring of weapons, transfer
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of weapons, buying, selling,
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anyhow transferring weapons to
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Turkey out of Libya?
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>> HILLARY CLINTON: To Turkey?
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I do not know.
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>> TARPLEY: Concerning
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the attack on the U.S. consulate
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and CIA post in Benghazi,
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Libya, the attempt to pin this
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on Obama is pure, big-lie
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propaganda.
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CIA asset kills ambassador,
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CIA assets run away.
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That's nothing to do with Obama.
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It has to do with the CIA.
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>> PAVLICH: Everything goes
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back to the President in
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the United States.
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So, what his Cabinet does, what
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his department does, what his
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departments within the federal
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government do... eventually is
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his responsibility.
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>> NARRATOR: Was the attack on
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the U.S. consulate in Benghazi
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perpetrated by al Qaeda
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operatives who had been secretly
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working with the CIA?
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And is this the reason why the
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Obama administration was quick
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to blame the attack on a
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15-minute YouTube video?
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>> TARPLEY: After Benghazi and
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around the time of the election,
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a whole series of top admirals
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and generals get fired.
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Petraeus is out.
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General Allen.
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00:10:06,840 --> 00:10:09,380
Admiral Stavridis at NATO.
289
00:10:09,376 --> 00:10:10,906
The head of the Missile Defense
290
00:10:10,911 --> 00:10:11,981
Agency.
291
00:10:11,979 --> 00:10:13,379
General Carter Ham, the head of
292
00:10:13,380 --> 00:10:15,220
U.S. AFRICOM.
293
00:10:15,215 --> 00:10:16,215
There's a whole series of
294
00:10:16,216 --> 00:10:17,946
high-profile careers that
295
00:10:17,951 --> 00:10:19,991
mysteriously come to an end in
296
00:10:19,987 --> 00:10:22,717
the autumn of 2012.
297
00:10:22,723 --> 00:10:24,193
And nobody has come up with a
298
00:10:24,191 --> 00:10:25,991
satisfactory explanation.
299
00:10:25,993 --> 00:10:27,233
The public has not been told
300
00:10:27,227 --> 00:10:29,157
the entire truth.
301
00:10:31,965 --> 00:10:32,995
>> NARRATOR: Are the details of
302
00:10:33,000 --> 00:10:34,940
the attack on the U.S. consulate
303
00:10:34,935 --> 00:10:36,995
in Benghazi really part of
304
00:10:37,004 --> 00:10:39,214
a presidential cover-up?
305
00:10:39,206 --> 00:10:42,006
And if so, is it to protect
306
00:10:42,009 --> 00:10:44,009
American interests and national
307
00:10:44,011 --> 00:10:45,811
security?
308
00:10:45,813 --> 00:10:47,383
Or is the reason purely
309
00:10:47,414 --> 00:10:49,384
political?
310
00:10:49,382 --> 00:10:50,882
>> GENOVESE: Most cover-ups are
311
00:10:50,884 --> 00:10:52,394
for presidential gain or to
312
00:10:52,385 --> 00:10:53,345
protect the president, either
313
00:10:53,353 --> 00:10:55,023
personally or politically.
314
00:10:55,022 --> 00:10:55,962
>> RONALD GOLDFARB: All
315
00:10:55,956 --> 00:10:57,156
governments like to operate in
316
00:10:57,157 --> 00:10:58,157
secret, and whether you come in
317
00:10:58,158 --> 00:10:59,158
as a liberal or conservative,
318
00:10:59,159 --> 00:11:00,229
once you're in power,
319
00:11:00,227 --> 00:11:01,997
you seem to prefer to
320
00:11:01,995 --> 00:11:03,425
operate in the shadows,
321
00:11:03,430 --> 00:11:04,830
or secretly.
322
00:11:04,832 --> 00:11:05,432
>> GENOVESE: There's a great
323
00:11:05,432 --> 00:11:06,432
temptation to think, "I have to
324
00:11:06,433 --> 00:11:08,173
save my political behind and
325
00:11:08,168 --> 00:11:10,168
so what I'll do is I'll declare
326
00:11:10,170 --> 00:11:11,170
something secret that shouldn't
327
00:11:11,171 --> 00:11:12,441
be."
328
00:11:12,439 --> 00:11:14,879
Sometimes you get away with it.
329
00:11:14,875 --> 00:11:17,845
But once it starts to unravel,
330
00:11:17,845 --> 00:11:19,375
it almost certainly becomes
331
00:11:19,379 --> 00:11:20,979
completely unraveled and
332
00:11:20,981 --> 00:11:22,281
the president suffers greatly--
333
00:11:22,282 --> 00:11:24,322
either impeachment or his place
334
00:11:24,317 --> 00:11:26,287
in history.
335
00:11:37,397 --> 00:11:39,267
>> NARRATOR: Washington, D.C.
336
00:11:39,266 --> 00:11:42,866
June 17, 1972.
337
00:11:42,870 --> 00:11:44,400
The Watergate office and
338
00:11:44,404 --> 00:11:46,874
apartment complex.
339
00:11:46,874 --> 00:11:49,414
Five burglars break in to
340
00:11:49,409 --> 00:11:51,409
photograph documents and plant
341
00:11:51,411 --> 00:11:53,151
listening devices at the
342
00:11:53,146 --> 00:11:54,816
Democratic National Committee
343
00:11:54,815 --> 00:11:56,975
headquarters located inside the
344
00:11:56,984 --> 00:12:00,354
landmark building.
345
00:12:00,353 --> 00:12:02,423
A security guard notices tape
346
00:12:02,422 --> 00:12:04,092
covering the latches on the
347
00:12:04,091 --> 00:12:05,961
office doors.
348
00:12:05,959 --> 00:12:07,289
The burglars are caught
349
00:12:07,294 --> 00:12:11,874
red-handed and arrested.
350
00:12:11,865 --> 00:12:14,095
Upon questioning, the police
351
00:12:14,101 --> 00:12:16,371
discover that the men-- later
352
00:12:16,369 --> 00:12:17,969
identified as a clandestine
353
00:12:17,971 --> 00:12:20,141
group known as the "White House
354
00:12:20,140 --> 00:12:22,310
Plumbers"-- are operating on
355
00:12:22,309 --> 00:12:24,109
behalf of President Richard
356
00:12:24,144 --> 00:12:27,514
Nixon's re-election campaign.
357
00:12:27,514 --> 00:12:28,554
>> DON FULSOM: The White House
358
00:12:28,548 --> 00:12:31,018
Plumbers were experts at
359
00:12:31,018 --> 00:12:32,988
break-ins and other illegal
360
00:12:32,986 --> 00:12:34,516
activities.
361
00:12:34,521 --> 00:12:36,861
Their main function for Nixon
362
00:12:36,857 --> 00:12:38,557
was to stop the types of leaks
363
00:12:38,558 --> 00:12:41,558
that occurred when, for example,
364
00:12:41,561 --> 00:12:43,131
the Pentagon Papers were
365
00:12:43,130 --> 00:12:46,330
disclosed by Daniel Ellsberg.
366
00:12:46,333 --> 00:12:47,573
They, in a somewhat humorous
367
00:12:47,567 --> 00:12:50,537
fashion, put a sign on their
368
00:12:50,537 --> 00:12:53,167
door at the White House in
369
00:12:53,173 --> 00:12:55,143
a secret location that just
370
00:12:55,142 --> 00:12:59,412
said "Plumbers."
371
00:12:59,412 --> 00:13:00,352
>> TIMOTHY NAFTALI: The Plumbers
372
00:13:00,347 --> 00:13:02,047
included a former CIA
373
00:13:02,049 --> 00:13:04,019
intelligence officer named
374
00:13:04,017 --> 00:13:05,817
E. Howard Hunt.
375
00:13:05,819 --> 00:13:07,449
E. Howard Hunt recruited some
376
00:13:07,454 --> 00:13:09,364
Cubans that he'd worked with,
377
00:13:09,356 --> 00:13:12,456
uh, in the early 1960's when the
378
00:13:12,459 --> 00:13:14,159
Eisenhower administration and
379
00:13:14,161 --> 00:13:15,801
then the Kennedy administration
380
00:13:15,829 --> 00:13:19,829
tried to overthrow Fidel Castro.
381
00:13:19,833 --> 00:13:22,843
When the Watergate burglars are
382
00:13:22,836 --> 00:13:24,936
arrested by the Washington
383
00:13:24,938 --> 00:13:29,078
police in June of 1972 and their
384
00:13:29,076 --> 00:13:32,176
names reach the White House,
385
00:13:32,179 --> 00:13:35,849
Nixon knows who E. Howard Hunt
386
00:13:35,849 --> 00:13:37,179
is.
387
00:13:37,184 --> 00:13:40,054
He understands immediately the
388
00:13:40,053 --> 00:13:41,993
challenge to him.
389
00:13:41,989 --> 00:13:43,919
>> NARRATOR: A few days after
390
00:13:43,924 --> 00:13:46,064
the arrest of the Plumbers,
391
00:13:46,059 --> 00:13:47,389
President Nixon's
392
00:13:47,394 --> 00:13:49,464
press secretary Ron Ziegler
393
00:13:49,462 --> 00:13:51,602
dismissed the event as a "third-
394
00:13:51,598 --> 00:13:54,398
rate burglary attempt."
395
00:13:54,401 --> 00:13:55,941
The cover-up soon to be known
396
00:13:55,936 --> 00:13:59,406
simply as "Watergate" had begun.
397
00:13:59,406 --> 00:14:01,606
>> NIXON: I neither authorized
398
00:14:01,608 --> 00:14:03,478
nor encouraged subordinates
399
00:14:03,476 --> 00:14:05,606
to engage in illegal or
400
00:14:05,612 --> 00:14:07,512
improper campaign tactics.
401
00:14:07,514 --> 00:14:08,954
>> LICHTMAN: The big question is
402
00:14:08,949 --> 00:14:11,419
why did the Nixon administration
403
00:14:11,418 --> 00:14:14,448
care so much about covering up
404
00:14:14,487 --> 00:14:16,657
a petty burglary?
405
00:14:16,656 --> 00:14:19,656
The reason they cared is that
406
00:14:19,659 --> 00:14:22,159
the Watergate break-in was the
407
00:14:22,162 --> 00:14:26,572
tip of the iceberg of a raft of
408
00:14:26,566 --> 00:14:30,036
illegal, immoral and abhorrent
409
00:14:30,037 --> 00:14:32,937
activities being conducted by
410
00:14:32,973 --> 00:14:36,583
the Nixon administration.
411
00:14:36,576 --> 00:14:37,636
>> NARRATOR: If the reason for
412
00:14:37,644 --> 00:14:40,284
the break-in at DNC headquarters
413
00:14:40,280 --> 00:14:42,050
was to get information on the
414
00:14:42,049 --> 00:14:44,449
campaign activities of Democrat
415
00:14:44,451 --> 00:14:47,051
nominee George McGovern, Nixon's
416
00:14:47,054 --> 00:14:49,994
supporters needn't have worried.
417
00:14:49,990 --> 00:14:52,290
The Republican incumbent won by
418
00:14:52,292 --> 00:14:55,462
a landslide.
419
00:14:55,462 --> 00:14:58,472
Still, persistent questions
420
00:14:58,465 --> 00:15:01,125
remained about the break-in.
421
00:15:01,134 --> 00:15:03,204
And Democrats-- as well as the
422
00:15:03,203 --> 00:15:05,473
American media-- would not let
423
00:15:05,472 --> 00:15:07,072
the story go.
424
00:15:07,074 --> 00:15:08,544
>> MORGAN: In the spring of
425
00:15:08,541 --> 00:15:10,081
1973, in the aftermath of
426
00:15:10,077 --> 00:15:11,947
these break-ins, there was an
427
00:15:11,945 --> 00:15:13,005
exposรยฉ piece written for
428
00:15:13,013 --> 00:15:14,253
The Washington Post by Woodward
429
00:15:14,281 --> 00:15:15,481
and Bernstein.
430
00:15:15,482 --> 00:15:17,082
And this piece revealed the
431
00:15:17,084 --> 00:15:19,094
possibility of there having
432
00:15:19,086 --> 00:15:20,686
been a presidential cover-up
433
00:15:20,687 --> 00:15:22,087
associated with the Watergate
434
00:15:22,089 --> 00:15:25,629
break-ins.
435
00:15:25,625 --> 00:15:29,495
>> NARRATOR: On May 17, 1973,
436
00:15:29,496 --> 00:15:31,496
the Democrat-controlled Senate
437
00:15:31,498 --> 00:15:33,098
began hearings to investigate
438
00:15:33,100 --> 00:15:35,500
the break-in.
439
00:15:35,502 --> 00:15:37,502
And soon, the focus boiled down
440
00:15:37,504 --> 00:15:40,744
to one crucial question.
441
00:15:40,740 --> 00:15:41,710
>> HOWARD BAKER: What did
442
00:15:41,708 --> 00:15:42,978
the president know and when
443
00:15:42,976 --> 00:15:44,636
did he know it?
444
00:15:44,644 --> 00:15:45,184
>> ISIKOFF: "What did the
445
00:15:45,178 --> 00:15:46,578
president know and when did the
446
00:15:46,579 --> 00:15:48,179
president know it?"
447
00:15:48,181 --> 00:15:50,521
And it's since then become the
448
00:15:50,517 --> 00:15:53,647
key question that investigators
449
00:15:53,653 --> 00:15:56,363
have asked in every presidential
450
00:15:56,389 --> 00:15:58,529
scandal ever since.
451
00:15:58,525 --> 00:15:59,985
>> LICHTMAN: That phrase comes
452
00:15:59,993 --> 00:16:02,103
from a Republican senator,
453
00:16:02,095 --> 00:16:03,995
Howard Baker.
454
00:16:03,997 --> 00:16:05,397
And that question was actually
455
00:16:05,398 --> 00:16:07,728
fed to him by his council,
456
00:16:07,734 --> 00:16:09,744
Fred Thompson, later also a
457
00:16:09,736 --> 00:16:11,596
United States Senator.
458
00:16:11,604 --> 00:16:13,544
And the notion was, "Look, the
459
00:16:13,540 --> 00:16:17,540
buck stops with the president."
460
00:16:17,544 --> 00:16:18,754
>> NARRATOR: When it was
461
00:16:18,745 --> 00:16:20,545
revealed during the hearings
462
00:16:20,547 --> 00:16:22,377
that Nixon had recorded nearly
463
00:16:22,382 --> 00:16:24,152
all of his conversations
464
00:16:24,151 --> 00:16:26,421
in the Oval Office, the Senate--
465
00:16:26,419 --> 00:16:28,659
and the media-- began a feeding
466
00:16:28,655 --> 00:16:31,355
frenzy for information.
467
00:16:31,358 --> 00:16:33,258
Did Richard Nixon order the
468
00:16:33,260 --> 00:16:36,160
Plumbers to break in to the DNC
469
00:16:36,163 --> 00:16:37,803
headquarters?
470
00:16:37,797 --> 00:16:40,797
Or, if not, did he orchestrate a
471
00:16:40,800 --> 00:16:42,670
cover-up in an effort to
472
00:16:42,702 --> 00:16:45,712
protect his reelection campaign?
473
00:16:45,705 --> 00:16:47,405
>> KORNBLUH: Let me just say,
474
00:16:47,407 --> 00:16:49,277
these tapes cover a lot more
475
00:16:49,276 --> 00:16:51,036
than just Watergate.
476
00:16:51,044 --> 00:16:52,654
They revealed a lot about what
477
00:16:52,645 --> 00:16:54,305
Nixon knew and when he knew it,
478
00:16:54,314 --> 00:16:56,584
about all sorts of sordid and
479
00:16:56,583 --> 00:16:57,783
illegal and unethical foreign
480
00:16:57,784 --> 00:17:01,254
policy operations.
481
00:17:01,254 --> 00:17:02,694
His discussions with Henry
482
00:17:02,689 --> 00:17:04,659
Kissinger about operations
483
00:17:04,657 --> 00:17:07,787
in Chile, and the U.S. role in
484
00:17:07,794 --> 00:17:09,434
overthrowing a democratically
485
00:17:09,429 --> 00:17:10,799
elected government there.
486
00:17:10,797 --> 00:17:12,727
There are tapes about Cambodia
487
00:17:12,732 --> 00:17:13,732
and Laos.
488
00:17:13,733 --> 00:17:15,673
There are discussions about the
489
00:17:15,668 --> 00:17:16,838
illegal wiretapping that they
490
00:17:16,836 --> 00:17:18,336
were doing.
491
00:17:18,338 --> 00:17:19,808
>> WEAD: The list that Richard
492
00:17:19,806 --> 00:17:22,476
Nixon had someone make on the
493
00:17:22,475 --> 00:17:24,205
number of Jews that worked in
494
00:17:24,211 --> 00:17:26,181
his government, for example.
495
00:17:26,179 --> 00:17:27,409
All this is being verbalized
496
00:17:27,414 --> 00:17:28,724
with people sitting there.
497
00:17:28,715 --> 00:17:30,715
And they had no idea it's being
498
00:17:30,750 --> 00:17:32,450
tape recorded.
499
00:17:32,452 --> 00:17:33,822
>> KORNBLUH: The tapes
500
00:17:33,820 --> 00:17:37,360
themselves serve as a truth
501
00:17:37,357 --> 00:17:39,627
serum, if you will, for history
502
00:17:39,626 --> 00:17:41,456
on what Richard Nixon's
503
00:17:41,461 --> 00:17:45,231
presidency was all about.
504
00:17:45,232 --> 00:17:46,632
>> NARRATOR: In the decades
505
00:17:46,633 --> 00:17:48,643
since the Watergate scandal,
506
00:17:48,635 --> 00:17:50,635
numerous conspiracy theories
507
00:17:50,637 --> 00:17:52,707
continue to circulate as to
508
00:17:52,705 --> 00:17:54,205
Richard Nixon's numerous
509
00:17:54,207 --> 00:17:56,307
secret activities.
510
00:17:56,309 --> 00:17:57,779
>> FULSOM: One of Richard
511
00:17:57,777 --> 00:17:59,647
Nixon's cover-ups was his
512
00:17:59,646 --> 00:18:02,246
relationship with Bebe Rebozo,
513
00:18:02,249 --> 00:18:04,379
who befriended Nixon in the
514
00:18:04,384 --> 00:18:05,894
1950s.
515
00:18:05,885 --> 00:18:07,745
He was the guy who contacted
516
00:18:07,754 --> 00:18:10,494
mafia figures on Nixon's behalf,
517
00:18:10,490 --> 00:18:12,530
made deals.
518
00:18:12,525 --> 00:18:14,455
Rebozo served as the middleman
519
00:18:14,461 --> 00:18:16,661
in several dealings with
520
00:18:16,663 --> 00:18:18,733
Howard Hughes.
521
00:18:18,731 --> 00:18:21,271
One example, a bribe from
522
00:18:21,268 --> 00:18:24,668
Howard Hughes to Nixon's
523
00:18:24,671 --> 00:18:28,511
brother Donald of $205,000,
524
00:18:28,508 --> 00:18:30,538
to set up a chain of hamburger
525
00:18:30,543 --> 00:18:31,913
stands.
526
00:18:31,911 --> 00:18:33,481
A friend of Howard Hughes tells
527
00:18:33,480 --> 00:18:35,480
me that the money actually
528
00:18:35,482 --> 00:18:37,552
went directly to Richard Nixon
529
00:18:37,550 --> 00:18:41,150
for his personal use.
530
00:18:41,154 --> 00:18:42,294
>> GENOVESE: Watergate, in its
531
00:18:42,289 --> 00:18:44,419
narrowest sense, was just
532
00:18:44,424 --> 00:18:46,394
the break-in of the Democratic
533
00:18:46,393 --> 00:18:47,693
headquarters at the Watergate
534
00:18:47,694 --> 00:18:49,364
complex.
535
00:18:49,362 --> 00:18:51,702
They wanted to get into Larry
536
00:18:51,698 --> 00:18:53,428
O'Brien's office.
537
00:18:53,433 --> 00:18:54,433
O'Brien was the chair of the
538
00:18:54,434 --> 00:18:55,704
Democratic Party.
539
00:18:55,702 --> 00:18:56,702
And they thought that Larry
540
00:18:56,703 --> 00:18:58,713
O'Brien, who had business ties
541
00:18:58,705 --> 00:19:00,805
with Howard Hughes, might have
542
00:19:00,807 --> 00:19:02,507
the dope on what Nixon and
543
00:19:02,509 --> 00:19:04,239
Nixon's brother were getting
544
00:19:04,244 --> 00:19:06,184
from Howard Hughes.
545
00:19:09,716 --> 00:19:10,716
>> NARRATOR: The Watergate
546
00:19:10,717 --> 00:19:12,387
break-in-- and the attempt to
547
00:19:12,385 --> 00:19:14,785
cover it up-- ultimately led to
548
00:19:14,787 --> 00:19:17,517
Richard Nixon's resignation as
549
00:19:17,524 --> 00:19:20,534
President of the United States.
550
00:19:20,527 --> 00:19:21,727
>> NIXON: I shall resign the
551
00:19:21,728 --> 00:19:23,328
presidency effective at noon
552
00:19:23,330 --> 00:19:26,270
tomorrow.
553
00:19:26,266 --> 00:19:27,566
>> KORNBLUH: This is a cover-up
554
00:19:27,567 --> 00:19:29,867
of a crime that brought down
555
00:19:29,869 --> 00:19:31,739
the President of the United
556
00:19:31,738 --> 00:19:33,808
States, led to the resignation
557
00:19:33,806 --> 00:19:35,876
of a President of the United
558
00:19:35,875 --> 00:19:37,275
States.
559
00:19:37,277 --> 00:19:39,347
And it reverberates continually
560
00:19:39,346 --> 00:19:41,346
through the history of
561
00:19:41,348 --> 00:19:43,578
presidents thereafter and to our
562
00:19:43,616 --> 00:19:46,986
current day.
563
00:19:46,986 --> 00:19:47,986
>> GENOVESE: The roots of
564
00:19:47,987 --> 00:19:49,487
Watergate can be found in the
565
00:19:49,489 --> 00:19:50,789
personality and the character of
566
00:19:50,823 --> 00:19:52,333
Richard Nixon.
567
00:19:52,325 --> 00:19:53,755
And when he got into power, he
568
00:19:53,760 --> 00:19:56,460
didn't have the kinds of
569
00:19:56,463 --> 00:19:57,503
constraints that most of us
570
00:19:57,497 --> 00:19:58,367
would have.
571
00:19:58,365 --> 00:19:59,365
He thought that politics was
572
00:19:59,366 --> 00:20:00,866
war, and he thought that
573
00:20:00,867 --> 00:20:01,897
political adversaries were
574
00:20:01,901 --> 00:20:05,771
enemies out to get him.
575
00:20:05,772 --> 00:20:06,772
>> NARRATOR: But if the
576
00:20:06,773 --> 00:20:08,443
Watergate scandal was simply a
577
00:20:08,441 --> 00:20:09,981
consequence of Richard Nixon's
578
00:20:09,976 --> 00:20:13,306
personal paranoia, is it safe
579
00:20:13,313 --> 00:20:15,783
to say that political espionage
580
00:20:15,782 --> 00:20:17,922
and so-called "dirty tricks" are
581
00:20:17,917 --> 00:20:20,987
now a thing of the past?
582
00:20:20,987 --> 00:20:22,457
>> WEAD: If there was an
583
00:20:22,455 --> 00:20:24,015
American Book of Secrets, and
584
00:20:24,023 --> 00:20:25,593
you turned to the pages of
585
00:20:25,592 --> 00:20:27,462
Watergate, I think you would be
586
00:20:27,460 --> 00:20:29,600
very disappointed.
587
00:20:29,596 --> 00:20:31,656
I think what you would find is
588
00:20:31,664 --> 00:20:35,474
this president got caught and
589
00:20:35,468 --> 00:20:36,998
subsequent White Houses became
590
00:20:37,003 --> 00:20:39,513
much more sophisticated.
591
00:20:39,506 --> 00:20:42,476
But not much changed.
592
00:20:42,475 --> 00:20:44,805
And I can tell you personally
593
00:20:44,811 --> 00:20:46,811
of incidents where spy
594
00:20:46,813 --> 00:20:48,553
organizations were run in an
595
00:20:48,548 --> 00:20:50,618
opponent's political campaign,
596
00:20:50,617 --> 00:20:52,947
long after Watergate, um,
597
00:20:52,952 --> 00:20:55,522
infiltrating the opposition.
598
00:20:55,522 --> 00:20:57,462
It still goes on.
599
00:21:08,301 --> 00:21:09,301
>> NARRATOR: Abbottabad,
600
00:21:09,302 --> 00:21:11,042
Pakistan.
601
00:21:11,037 --> 00:21:14,567
May 2, 2011.
602
00:21:14,574 --> 00:21:16,584
Shortly after 1:00 a.m. local
603
00:21:16,576 --> 00:21:19,506
time, Osama bin Laden--
604
00:21:19,512 --> 00:21:21,512
the founder of al Qaeda and
605
00:21:21,514 --> 00:21:23,524
mastermind behind the deadliest
606
00:21:23,516 --> 00:21:25,846
terrorist attack ever on U.S.
607
00:21:25,852 --> 00:21:28,992
soil-- is killed during a raid
608
00:21:28,988 --> 00:21:30,918
on his compound.
609
00:21:32,992 --> 00:21:35,062
The raid is the result of a
610
00:21:35,061 --> 00:21:36,731
top-secret mission called
611
00:21:36,729 --> 00:21:40,529
Operation Neptune Spear.
612
00:21:40,533 --> 00:21:41,873
>> PRESIDENT OBAMA: Tonight, I
613
00:21:41,868 --> 00:21:42,998
can report to the American
614
00:21:43,002 --> 00:21:45,342
people, and to the world, that
615
00:21:45,338 --> 00:21:46,768
the United States has conducted
616
00:21:46,773 --> 00:21:48,613
an operation that killed Osama
617
00:21:48,608 --> 00:21:50,408
bin Laden, the leader of
618
00:21:50,410 --> 00:21:52,550
al Qaeda.
619
00:21:52,545 --> 00:21:53,605
>> NARRATOR: The success of
620
00:21:53,613 --> 00:21:55,083
the mission offers a prime
621
00:21:55,081 --> 00:21:56,681
example of where keeping a
622
00:21:56,683 --> 00:21:58,823
secret-- even from the American
623
00:21:58,818 --> 00:22:01,548
public-- pays off.
624
00:22:01,554 --> 00:22:04,624
But when does legitimate secrecy
625
00:22:04,624 --> 00:22:08,634
end and a cover-up begin?
626
00:22:08,628 --> 00:22:10,628
When does the American
627
00:22:10,630 --> 00:22:12,770
government flirt with criminal
628
00:22:12,765 --> 00:22:15,595
behavior, even in the name of
629
00:22:15,635 --> 00:22:17,635
national interest?
630
00:22:17,637 --> 00:22:18,637
>> PAVLICH: There's a difference
631
00:22:18,638 --> 00:22:20,838
between a cover-up and citing
632
00:22:20,840 --> 00:22:22,040
national security in order to
633
00:22:22,041 --> 00:22:24,641
keep the American people safe.
634
00:22:24,644 --> 00:22:26,054
Cover-ups are used to cover up
635
00:22:26,045 --> 00:22:28,575
bad behavior and poor
636
00:22:28,581 --> 00:22:30,051
decisions-- not to help the
637
00:22:30,049 --> 00:22:32,119
country, but to help the
638
00:22:32,118 --> 00:22:34,048
commander in chief.
639
00:22:36,823 --> 00:22:38,693
>> NARRATOR: Another case of
640
00:22:38,691 --> 00:22:40,791
a top-secret mission that became
641
00:22:40,793 --> 00:22:43,603
a scandalous cover-up began
642
00:22:43,596 --> 00:22:45,596
in the early 1980s...
643
00:22:45,598 --> 00:22:46,968
>> OLIVER NORTH: I do.
644
00:22:46,966 --> 00:22:47,866
>> NARRATOR: ...under
645
00:22:47,867 --> 00:22:49,797
then-President Ronald Reagan.
646
00:22:52,138 --> 00:22:54,468
It involved the covert sale of
647
00:22:54,474 --> 00:22:56,614
arms to so-called "moderates"
648
00:22:56,609 --> 00:22:59,409
within the government of Iran in
649
00:22:59,412 --> 00:23:01,452
exchange for the Iranians' help
650
00:23:01,448 --> 00:23:03,878
in freeing seven Americans held
651
00:23:03,883 --> 00:23:06,153
hostage by a militant terrorist
652
00:23:06,152 --> 00:23:07,752
group.
653
00:23:07,754 --> 00:23:08,764
>> MORGAN: In the negotiations
654
00:23:08,755 --> 00:23:09,615
about the release of these
655
00:23:09,622 --> 00:23:11,122
hostages, there was an
656
00:23:11,123 --> 00:23:12,163
indication on the part of the
657
00:23:12,158 --> 00:23:13,628
Iranian group that they needed
658
00:23:13,626 --> 00:23:14,626
certain weapons.
659
00:23:14,627 --> 00:23:17,827
They needed some arms.
660
00:23:17,830 --> 00:23:19,030
The Reagan administration then
661
00:23:19,031 --> 00:23:21,631
sought to provide the weapons
662
00:23:21,634 --> 00:23:22,974
that were needed by the
663
00:23:22,969 --> 00:23:23,969
Iranians.
664
00:23:23,970 --> 00:23:26,770
That began a process that we
665
00:23:26,773 --> 00:23:28,043
historically refer to now as
666
00:23:28,040 --> 00:23:30,640
"arms for hostages."
667
00:23:30,643 --> 00:23:31,643
>> GENOVESE: The problem was, we
668
00:23:31,644 --> 00:23:32,654
delivered a plane full of
669
00:23:32,645 --> 00:23:34,605
military equipment, and they
670
00:23:34,647 --> 00:23:36,447
didn't release a hostage.
671
00:23:36,449 --> 00:23:38,049
The United States comes back
672
00:23:38,050 --> 00:23:39,050
and goes, "Hey, wait a minute,
673
00:23:39,051 --> 00:23:40,191
where-where's the hostage?"
674
00:23:40,186 --> 00:23:41,646
"Well, we need more."
675
00:23:41,654 --> 00:23:44,064
So another plane is delivered,
676
00:23:44,056 --> 00:23:45,486
and they release a hostage.
677
00:23:45,492 --> 00:23:47,062
We think, okay, this is working.
678
00:23:47,059 --> 00:23:48,059
The problem is, right after they
679
00:23:48,060 --> 00:23:49,160
released one hostage, they took
680
00:23:49,161 --> 00:23:50,661
another.
681
00:23:50,663 --> 00:23:51,663
This happened three consecutive
682
00:23:51,664 --> 00:23:53,004
times before we figured out what
683
00:23:52,999 --> 00:23:54,029
they were doing.
684
00:23:54,033 --> 00:23:56,203
We were played for fools.
685
00:23:56,202 --> 00:23:57,672
>> NARRATOR: But why was the
686
00:23:57,670 --> 00:23:59,940
Reagan administration so willing
687
00:23:59,939 --> 00:24:02,879
to sell arms to a nation openly
688
00:24:02,875 --> 00:24:06,475
hostile to the United States?
689
00:24:06,479 --> 00:24:09,179
The answer may lie 8,000 miles
690
00:24:09,181 --> 00:24:13,051
away...
691
00:24:13,052 --> 00:24:14,192
in the Central American
692
00:24:14,186 --> 00:24:17,216
country of Nicaragua, where a
693
00:24:17,223 --> 00:24:19,533
bloody war was taking place
694
00:24:19,526 --> 00:24:21,686
between the Communist-controlled
695
00:24:21,694 --> 00:24:23,904
government and opposition forces
696
00:24:23,896 --> 00:24:27,096
known as Contras.
697
00:24:27,099 --> 00:24:29,899
Reagan believed strongly that
698
00:24:29,902 --> 00:24:32,512
the Contras deserved American
699
00:24:32,505 --> 00:24:34,565
funding and support.
700
00:24:34,574 --> 00:24:37,714
Unfortunately, any such funding
701
00:24:37,710 --> 00:24:40,510
had been banned by Congress.
702
00:24:40,513 --> 00:24:41,783
>> GENOVESE: They passed what's
703
00:24:41,781 --> 00:24:43,221
called the Boland Amendment,
704
00:24:43,215 --> 00:24:44,975
which forbad any use of
705
00:24:44,984 --> 00:24:46,824
American funds in any way
706
00:24:46,853 --> 00:24:48,723
to the Contras.
707
00:24:48,721 --> 00:24:50,061
>> LICHTMAN: Blocked from
708
00:24:50,056 --> 00:24:53,126
spending official government
709
00:24:53,125 --> 00:24:56,725
money on the war in Nicaragua,
710
00:24:56,729 --> 00:24:58,129
the Reagan administration went
711
00:24:58,130 --> 00:25:00,270
to great lengths to find
712
00:25:00,266 --> 00:25:03,936
outside sources of funding
713
00:25:03,970 --> 00:25:06,870
to support the Contras.
714
00:25:06,873 --> 00:25:07,813
>> GENOVESE: And so he went
715
00:25:07,807 --> 00:25:09,007
to one of his operatives-- a guy
716
00:25:09,008 --> 00:25:10,738
named Ollie North, a bizarre
717
00:25:10,743 --> 00:25:12,143
little colonel-- and he said,
718
00:25:12,144 --> 00:25:13,214
"We've got to keep the Contras
719
00:25:13,212 --> 00:25:14,982
together, body and soul."
720
00:25:14,981 --> 00:25:16,551
North took that as marching
721
00:25:16,549 --> 00:25:18,989
orders, and he said, "What a
722
00:25:18,985 --> 00:25:19,985
great idea.
723
00:25:19,986 --> 00:25:21,146
We'll take the funds that we
724
00:25:21,153 --> 00:25:24,823
get from the sale of weapons and
725
00:25:24,824 --> 00:25:28,604
give it to the Contras."
726
00:25:28,595 --> 00:25:29,595
>> NARRATOR: There were those in
727
00:25:29,596 --> 00:25:31,026
the president's inner circle
728
00:25:31,030 --> 00:25:32,970
who argued that the elaborate
729
00:25:32,965 --> 00:25:35,565
scheme-- while shady-- was
730
00:25:35,568 --> 00:25:37,998
perfectly legal, at least in
731
00:25:38,004 --> 00:25:40,614
a technical sense.
732
00:25:40,607 --> 00:25:42,977
The arms to Iran would be sold
733
00:25:42,975 --> 00:25:45,605
not by the United States, but
734
00:25:45,612 --> 00:25:48,282
by the Israelis.
735
00:25:48,280 --> 00:25:50,150
Residual money would, in
736
00:25:50,149 --> 00:25:52,819
turn, be used to secretly
737
00:25:52,852 --> 00:25:56,662
finance the Nicaraguan rebels.
738
00:25:56,656 --> 00:25:57,916
>> KORNBLUH: Oliver North was
739
00:25:57,924 --> 00:25:59,864
the central bureaucratic and
740
00:25:59,859 --> 00:26:02,659
operational manager for both
741
00:26:02,662 --> 00:26:04,862
the sale of arms to Iran and the
742
00:26:04,864 --> 00:26:07,034
illegal support and financing of
743
00:26:07,066 --> 00:26:09,296
the Contras.
744
00:26:09,301 --> 00:26:11,071
Either one of those things
745
00:26:11,070 --> 00:26:12,200
could've led to Ronald Reagan's
746
00:26:12,204 --> 00:26:14,614
impeachment.
747
00:26:14,607 --> 00:26:16,907
His aides all understood this.
748
00:26:16,909 --> 00:26:17,809
>> LICHTMAN: Right from the
749
00:26:17,810 --> 00:26:21,280
start, the Iran-Contra operation
750
00:26:21,280 --> 00:26:24,280
was organized as a cover-up,
751
00:26:24,283 --> 00:26:27,093
and a truly significant
752
00:26:27,086 --> 00:26:28,886
cover-up, because it involved
753
00:26:28,888 --> 00:26:31,158
the creation of a rogue agency
754
00:26:31,157 --> 00:26:34,827
within the government itself.
755
00:26:34,827 --> 00:26:36,827
>> NARRATOR: In November 1986,
756
00:26:36,829 --> 00:26:38,299
information about the
757
00:26:38,297 --> 00:26:41,167
arms-for-hostages scheme began
758
00:26:41,167 --> 00:26:44,297
to leak, so much so that an
759
00:26:44,303 --> 00:26:46,043
embarrassed President Reagan
760
00:26:46,038 --> 00:26:48,678
quickly set up a special review
761
00:26:48,675 --> 00:26:51,635
board to look into the matter.
762
00:26:51,644 --> 00:26:54,184
Oliver North and his activities
763
00:26:54,180 --> 00:26:55,680
would be the focus of most of
764
00:26:55,682 --> 00:26:57,852
the investigations, which was
765
00:26:57,850 --> 00:26:59,720
made more difficult when the
766
00:26:59,719 --> 00:27:01,849
Marine lieutenant colonel later
767
00:27:01,854 --> 00:27:03,394
admitted to shredding thousands
768
00:27:03,389 --> 00:27:05,189
of documents related to the
769
00:27:05,191 --> 00:27:08,661
case.
770
00:27:08,661 --> 00:27:11,861
In 1988, North was indicted on
771
00:27:11,864 --> 00:27:14,204
16 felony counts, and later
772
00:27:14,200 --> 00:27:16,240
convicted of three: aiding in
773
00:27:16,235 --> 00:27:18,395
the obstruction of Congress,
774
00:27:18,404 --> 00:27:21,144
shredding official documents and
775
00:27:21,140 --> 00:27:24,140
accepting illegal payment.
776
00:27:26,879 --> 00:27:29,079
His convictions, however, were
777
00:27:29,081 --> 00:27:31,951
vacated, since his testimony had
778
00:27:31,951 --> 00:27:33,891
been protected under an earlier
779
00:27:33,886 --> 00:27:36,256
grant of immunity.
780
00:27:36,255 --> 00:27:38,415
In the end, several high-ranking
781
00:27:38,424 --> 00:27:39,894
members of the Reagan
782
00:27:39,892 --> 00:27:41,432
administration were either
783
00:27:41,427 --> 00:27:44,157
indicted, convicted, or had
784
00:27:44,163 --> 00:27:46,033
their careers forever tarnished
785
00:27:46,032 --> 00:27:49,142
by the affair and the cover-up.
786
00:27:49,135 --> 00:27:51,765
But what about Ronald Reagan?
787
00:27:51,771 --> 00:27:53,911
Is it possible that the
788
00:27:53,906 --> 00:27:55,436
President of the United States
789
00:27:55,441 --> 00:27:57,711
was as innocent of the
790
00:27:57,710 --> 00:27:59,450
Iran-Contra scheme as he
791
00:27:59,445 --> 00:28:02,305
claimed?
792
00:28:02,314 --> 00:28:04,124
>> REAGAN: We did not, repeat,
793
00:28:04,116 --> 00:28:06,246
did not trade weapons or
794
00:28:06,252 --> 00:28:10,062
anything else for hostages.
795
00:28:10,056 --> 00:28:11,916
>> LICHTMAN: Nobody knows
796
00:28:11,924 --> 00:28:14,064
exactly what Reagan's role and
797
00:28:14,060 --> 00:28:15,930
responsibility was in
798
00:28:15,928 --> 00:28:17,928
Iran-Contra.
799
00:28:17,930 --> 00:28:19,200
Reagan claims he didn't know
800
00:28:19,198 --> 00:28:20,728
anything about what was going
801
00:28:20,733 --> 00:28:21,933
on.
802
00:28:21,934 --> 00:28:23,904
Most historians don't believe
803
00:28:23,936 --> 00:28:25,136
that.
804
00:28:25,137 --> 00:28:27,737
>> WEAD: This goes to the skill
805
00:28:27,740 --> 00:28:30,480
of Ronald Regan as a politician
806
00:28:30,476 --> 00:28:34,006
and-and as an actor.
807
00:28:34,013 --> 00:28:35,823
Nobody can really prove what
808
00:28:35,815 --> 00:28:37,275
the president knew and when he
809
00:28:37,283 --> 00:28:38,953
knew it.
810
00:28:38,951 --> 00:28:40,451
The theory is put forward that
811
00:28:40,452 --> 00:28:42,222
this was some rogue operation
812
00:28:42,221 --> 00:28:44,061
going on, that the president
813
00:28:44,090 --> 00:28:46,090
didn't know.
814
00:28:46,092 --> 00:28:48,492
That has not been my experience
815
00:28:48,494 --> 00:28:50,164
in the White House.
816
00:28:50,162 --> 00:28:51,162
I don't care who the president
817
00:28:51,163 --> 00:28:54,103
is; the information flows to
818
00:28:54,100 --> 00:28:55,770
the top.
819
00:28:55,768 --> 00:28:56,768
>> MORGAN: One theme that runs
820
00:28:56,769 --> 00:28:58,169
current between many of these
821
00:28:58,170 --> 00:28:59,840
scandals is the idea of
822
00:28:59,839 --> 00:29:02,369
plausible deniability-- that a
823
00:29:02,374 --> 00:29:03,844
presidential administration will
824
00:29:03,843 --> 00:29:06,813
authorize a clandestine mission
825
00:29:06,813 --> 00:29:09,183
only as long as they maintain a
826
00:29:09,181 --> 00:29:11,351
level of plausible deniability.
827
00:29:11,350 --> 00:29:12,520
That they can say, "I do not
828
00:29:12,518 --> 00:29:14,048
recall the details of this
829
00:29:14,053 --> 00:29:15,253
meeting."
830
00:29:15,254 --> 00:29:16,394
>> WEAD: It's theatrics to
831
00:29:16,388 --> 00:29:18,518
think a special assistant to the
832
00:29:18,524 --> 00:29:21,994
president can launch a project
833
00:29:21,994 --> 00:29:24,134
that would attempt to overthrow
834
00:29:24,130 --> 00:29:27,070
a government and circumvent
835
00:29:27,066 --> 00:29:29,136
the United States Congress.
836
00:29:32,338 --> 00:29:34,408
>> NARRATOR: But why-- less than
837
00:29:34,406 --> 00:29:36,506
two decades after President
838
00:29:36,508 --> 00:29:38,538
Richard Nixon's humiliating
839
00:29:38,544 --> 00:29:42,014
resignation-- would Ronald
840
00:29:42,014 --> 00:29:44,254
Reagan put his presidency, his
841
00:29:44,250 --> 00:29:47,350
party, and arguably the entire
842
00:29:47,353 --> 00:29:50,293
nation at such great risk?
843
00:29:50,289 --> 00:29:51,159
>> GENOVESE: The Reagan
844
00:29:51,157 --> 00:29:53,227
administration was a conviction
845
00:29:53,225 --> 00:29:54,425
presidency.
846
00:29:54,426 --> 00:29:55,896
Very principled conservatives
847
00:29:55,895 --> 00:29:57,425
who had a very strong
848
00:29:57,429 --> 00:29:59,399
ideological bent.
849
00:29:59,398 --> 00:30:01,568
And that justified doing almost
850
00:30:01,567 --> 00:30:03,037
anything, even when it was
851
00:30:03,035 --> 00:30:04,565
illegal.
852
00:30:04,570 --> 00:30:06,110
>> NARRATOR: There are even
853
00:30:06,105 --> 00:30:08,035
those who claim that the real
854
00:30:08,040 --> 00:30:10,380
cover-up wasn't the involvement
855
00:30:10,376 --> 00:30:12,906
of President Ronald Reagan, but
856
00:30:12,912 --> 00:30:15,312
the more secret involvement of
857
00:30:15,314 --> 00:30:16,924
a man who had been the former
858
00:30:16,916 --> 00:30:19,046
director of the CIA:
859
00:30:19,051 --> 00:30:21,551
Vice President George Herbert
860
00:30:21,587 --> 00:30:25,517
Walker Bush.
861
00:30:25,524 --> 00:30:26,864
>> TARPLEY: The reality of the
862
00:30:26,859 --> 00:30:29,259
Iran-Contra affair is all of
863
00:30:29,261 --> 00:30:32,131
this was directed from the
864
00:30:32,131 --> 00:30:34,031
White House by Vice President
865
00:30:34,066 --> 00:30:36,396
George H.W. Bush.
866
00:30:36,402 --> 00:30:38,172
Oliver North was directly
867
00:30:38,170 --> 00:30:40,210
attached to his staff, Oliver
868
00:30:40,206 --> 00:30:42,876
North was later selected to be
869
00:30:42,875 --> 00:30:45,075
the fall guy, and above all
870
00:30:45,077 --> 00:30:46,877
prevent the scandal from
871
00:30:46,879 --> 00:30:49,079
reaching George H.W. Bush,
872
00:30:49,081 --> 00:30:50,351
who, of course, was preparing
873
00:30:50,349 --> 00:30:52,219
his run for president in, uh,
874
00:30:52,218 --> 00:30:54,088
in 1988.
875
00:30:54,086 --> 00:30:56,086
>> WEAD: As a historian who
876
00:30:56,088 --> 00:30:58,288
admires Ronald Regan, I think
877
00:30:58,290 --> 00:30:59,890
he knew all of it.
878
00:30:59,892 --> 00:31:02,092
I just can't conceive of a
879
00:31:02,094 --> 00:31:04,434
president giving up that kind of
880
00:31:04,430 --> 00:31:06,900
power or forfeiting that kind of
881
00:31:06,899 --> 00:31:08,299
power.
882
00:31:08,300 --> 00:31:09,500
Iran-Contra turned into a
883
00:31:09,501 --> 00:31:12,101
cover-up because the president's
884
00:31:12,104 --> 00:31:15,984
men and women around him claimed
885
00:31:15,975 --> 00:31:17,335
he didn't know about it.
886
00:31:17,343 --> 00:31:18,483
The president himself played
887
00:31:18,510 --> 00:31:20,450
along with it.
888
00:31:20,446 --> 00:31:21,446
>> DAN WEBB: Do you have any
889
00:31:21,447 --> 00:31:23,117
recollection of approving for
890
00:31:23,115 --> 00:31:25,115
John Poindexter to send these
891
00:31:25,117 --> 00:31:26,587
specific letters to Congress?
892
00:31:26,585 --> 00:31:27,445
>> REAGAN: Well, again, it's a
893
00:31:27,453 --> 00:31:28,453
case of memory.
894
00:31:28,454 --> 00:31:30,394
I... I don't recall.
895
00:31:41,633 --> 00:31:43,303
>> NARRATOR: Washington, D.C.
896
00:31:43,302 --> 00:31:46,672
July, 2004.
897
00:31:46,672 --> 00:31:49,182
President Bill Clinton's former
898
00:31:49,175 --> 00:31:51,435
national security advisor, Sandy
899
00:31:51,443 --> 00:31:54,513
Berger, is brought before the
900
00:31:54,513 --> 00:31:56,653
U.S. Justice Department on
901
00:31:56,648 --> 00:31:58,718
charges of illegally removing
902
00:31:58,717 --> 00:32:00,517
classified documents and
903
00:32:00,519 --> 00:32:02,649
presidential papers from the
904
00:32:02,654 --> 00:32:06,194
National Archives.
905
00:32:06,192 --> 00:32:08,692
They had been requested as part
906
00:32:08,694 --> 00:32:11,204
of Congress's investigation into
907
00:32:11,197 --> 00:32:13,197
the murder of nearly 3,000
908
00:32:13,199 --> 00:32:15,529
Americans...
909
00:32:15,534 --> 00:32:18,474
on September 11, 2001.
910
00:32:20,739 --> 00:32:22,009
>> MORGAN: Sandy Berger was
911
00:32:22,008 --> 00:32:24,208
conducting some research in
912
00:32:24,210 --> 00:32:25,080
the National Archives.
913
00:32:25,077 --> 00:32:26,677
And it was revealed, ultimately,
914
00:32:26,678 --> 00:32:28,548
that the archival record that
915
00:32:28,547 --> 00:32:29,747
was being held there at the
916
00:32:29,748 --> 00:32:31,348
facility-- he was purging it
917
00:32:31,350 --> 00:32:33,090
of information that tended to
918
00:32:33,085 --> 00:32:34,415
incriminate the Clinton
919
00:32:34,420 --> 00:32:36,360
administration.
920
00:32:39,291 --> 00:32:41,231
>> NARRATOR: During testimony,
921
00:32:41,227 --> 00:32:42,487
Berger admitted to
922
00:32:42,494 --> 00:32:44,434
"inadvertently" putting a total
923
00:32:44,430 --> 00:32:46,630
of five documents related to the
924
00:32:46,632 --> 00:32:48,372
thwarted millennium attack plots
925
00:32:48,367 --> 00:32:50,737
in his briefcase.
926
00:32:50,736 --> 00:32:54,106
>> LICHTMAN: He stole copies of
927
00:32:54,106 --> 00:32:56,236
classified documents and
928
00:32:56,242 --> 00:32:58,582
possibly even some originals.
929
00:32:58,577 --> 00:33:00,047
And some of those may have
930
00:33:00,046 --> 00:33:01,776
included handwritten notations
931
00:33:01,780 --> 00:33:03,620
from the president himself.
932
00:33:03,615 --> 00:33:05,715
These documents related to
933
00:33:05,717 --> 00:33:08,117
analyses of the Clinton
934
00:33:08,120 --> 00:33:10,260
administration's response to
935
00:33:10,256 --> 00:33:12,516
terrorist actions.
936
00:33:15,127 --> 00:33:16,657
>> NARRATOR: But there are those
937
00:33:16,662 --> 00:33:18,732
who maintain that Berger removed
938
00:33:18,730 --> 00:33:21,670
not just a handful of documents,
939
00:33:21,667 --> 00:33:23,797
but dozens of them.
940
00:33:23,802 --> 00:33:26,272
And there are even a few that
941
00:33:26,272 --> 00:33:28,272
allege he removed them not
942
00:33:28,274 --> 00:33:30,284
inadvertently, but by
943
00:33:30,276 --> 00:33:31,606
deliberately hiding them in his
944
00:33:31,610 --> 00:33:34,680
clothes, and even in his socks.
945
00:33:37,283 --> 00:33:39,623
But if so, why?
946
00:33:39,618 --> 00:33:42,288
What could have been so damaging
947
00:33:42,288 --> 00:33:43,818
to President Clinton that would
948
00:33:43,822 --> 00:33:45,422
prompt his former national
949
00:33:45,424 --> 00:33:47,764
security advisor to risk his
950
00:33:47,759 --> 00:33:49,699
entire career?
951
00:33:51,830 --> 00:33:54,370
>> LICHTMAN: Critics say the
952
00:33:54,366 --> 00:33:56,496
Clinton administration had
953
00:33:56,502 --> 00:34:00,512
plenty of overt acts of terror
954
00:34:00,506 --> 00:34:03,106
committed on its watch.
955
00:34:03,109 --> 00:34:05,439
The 1993 attack on the World
956
00:34:05,444 --> 00:34:07,654
Trade Center, the bombings of
957
00:34:07,646 --> 00:34:10,376
American embassies in Africa,
958
00:34:10,382 --> 00:34:13,322
the bombing of the USS Cole.
959
00:34:13,319 --> 00:34:15,649
Despite all of these very
960
00:34:15,654 --> 00:34:17,664
terrible terrorist activities,
961
00:34:17,656 --> 00:34:19,786
the Clinton administration never
962
00:34:19,791 --> 00:34:22,531
launched a concerted campaign
963
00:34:22,528 --> 00:34:25,158
against al Qaeda or other
964
00:34:25,164 --> 00:34:26,674
terrorist elements.
965
00:34:26,665 --> 00:34:29,135
What President Clinton may have
966
00:34:29,135 --> 00:34:31,195
been trying to hide, with
967
00:34:31,203 --> 00:34:32,873
respect to the millennium plots
968
00:34:32,871 --> 00:34:34,541
and other acts of terror, is
969
00:34:34,540 --> 00:34:37,610
that he dropped the ball.
970
00:34:37,609 --> 00:34:38,579
>> SANDY BERGER: I deeply
971
00:34:38,577 --> 00:34:39,677
regret it.
972
00:34:39,678 --> 00:34:41,748
It was mistaken, and it was
973
00:34:41,747 --> 00:34:44,347
wrong.
974
00:34:44,350 --> 00:34:45,550
>> NARRATOR: Berger ultimately
975
00:34:45,551 --> 00:34:47,451
pleaded guilty to a charge of
976
00:34:47,453 --> 00:34:49,423
unauthorized removal and
977
00:34:49,421 --> 00:34:50,721
retention of classified
978
00:34:50,722 --> 00:34:53,362
material, for which he was fined
979
00:34:53,359 --> 00:34:55,689
$50,000 and sentenced to serve
980
00:34:55,694 --> 00:34:58,164
two years of probation and
981
00:34:58,164 --> 00:35:01,574
100 hours of community service.
982
00:35:01,567 --> 00:35:03,597
But why was such an outrageous
983
00:35:03,602 --> 00:35:06,172
offense punished with what many
984
00:35:06,172 --> 00:35:07,612
believed to be nothing more than
985
00:35:07,639 --> 00:35:10,839
a slap on the wrist?
986
00:35:10,842 --> 00:35:12,182
>> GENOVESE: Well, the way our
987
00:35:12,178 --> 00:35:13,578
government is constructed is to
988
00:35:13,579 --> 00:35:15,349
have a rough check and balance
989
00:35:15,381 --> 00:35:17,381
with a rough balance of power.
990
00:35:17,383 --> 00:35:19,393
But since, really, World War Two
991
00:35:19,385 --> 00:35:21,615
and the Depression, that has
992
00:35:21,620 --> 00:35:25,590
shifted towards the presidency.
993
00:35:25,591 --> 00:35:27,631
We're the only superpower,
994
00:35:27,626 --> 00:35:29,256
and when that happens, the
995
00:35:29,261 --> 00:35:30,531
president becomes more
996
00:35:30,529 --> 00:35:31,659
important.
997
00:35:31,663 --> 00:35:33,403
And so we've become, in many
998
00:35:33,399 --> 00:35:35,199
ways, a country with an imperial
999
00:35:35,201 --> 00:35:37,401
presidency, a presidency that
1000
00:35:37,403 --> 00:35:38,743
sometimes thinks it's above the
1001
00:35:38,737 --> 00:35:40,737
law, a presidency that has
1002
00:35:40,739 --> 00:35:42,539
abrogated to itself all sorts of
1003
00:35:42,541 --> 00:35:43,541
powers.
1004
00:35:43,542 --> 00:35:45,282
And that imperial status, which
1005
00:35:45,277 --> 00:35:47,277
is dangerous in a democracy, in
1006
00:35:47,279 --> 00:35:48,649
some ways though was
1007
00:35:48,647 --> 00:35:50,247
inevitable because of the rise
1008
00:35:50,249 --> 00:35:51,419
of American power
1009
00:35:51,417 --> 00:35:53,947
internationally.
1010
00:35:53,952 --> 00:35:57,222
An imperial power, a power with
1011
00:35:57,223 --> 00:35:58,823
its tentacles all over the
1012
00:35:58,824 --> 00:36:01,434
globe, seems to necessitate a
1013
00:36:01,427 --> 00:36:03,497
strong, centralized presidency.
1014
00:36:05,564 --> 00:36:06,834
>> NARRATOR: Has the office of
1015
00:36:06,832 --> 00:36:08,702
President of the United States
1016
00:36:08,700 --> 00:36:10,640
become so cynical towards the
1017
00:36:10,636 --> 00:36:13,636
American people and their laws
1018
00:36:13,639 --> 00:36:16,309
that almost all behavior can be
1019
00:36:16,308 --> 00:36:18,508
justified under the guise of
1020
00:36:18,510 --> 00:36:20,850
national security?
1021
00:36:20,846 --> 00:36:22,306
When it comes to the White
1022
00:36:22,314 --> 00:36:24,954
House, do they really believe
1023
00:36:24,950 --> 00:36:27,590
the ends justify the means?
1024
00:36:29,655 --> 00:36:31,455
>> WEAD: Of the last eight
1025
00:36:31,457 --> 00:36:32,987
American presidents before
1026
00:36:32,991 --> 00:36:35,861
Barack Obama, think about this:
1027
00:36:35,861 --> 00:36:37,561
only four of them were
1028
00:36:37,596 --> 00:36:38,796
reelected.
1029
00:36:38,797 --> 00:36:39,997
And of the four who were
1030
00:36:39,998 --> 00:36:43,738
reelected, one was impeached,
1031
00:36:43,735 --> 00:36:47,335
one resigned, and one left
1032
00:36:47,339 --> 00:36:49,709
office in disgrace, with the
1033
00:36:49,708 --> 00:36:51,478
lowest approval rating of any
1034
00:36:51,477 --> 00:36:52,537
president in his last month in
1035
00:36:52,544 --> 00:36:53,554
office.
1036
00:36:53,545 --> 00:36:54,605
Only one president of the
1037
00:36:54,613 --> 00:36:56,483
last eight left with any degree
1038
00:36:56,482 --> 00:36:58,982
of dignity intact, and that was
1039
00:36:58,984 --> 00:37:00,294
Ronald Regan.
1040
00:37:00,286 --> 00:37:03,216
And he experienced Iran-Contra.
1041
00:37:05,624 --> 00:37:06,764
>> NARRATOR: Has the president's
1042
00:37:06,758 --> 00:37:09,028
power-- to work autonomously,
1043
00:37:09,027 --> 00:37:10,827
to bypass Congress, and to
1044
00:37:10,829 --> 00:37:12,899
cover up illegal actions-- only
1045
00:37:12,898 --> 00:37:14,828
grown greater as the United
1046
00:37:14,833 --> 00:37:16,773
States has expanded its presence
1047
00:37:16,768 --> 00:37:18,968
around the globe?
1048
00:37:18,970 --> 00:37:20,770
And is it possible, with the aid
1049
00:37:20,772 --> 00:37:23,012
of new technology and under the
1050
00:37:23,008 --> 00:37:25,508
premise of fighting terror, that
1051
00:37:25,511 --> 00:37:26,981
the president could even conduct
1052
00:37:26,978 --> 00:37:29,518
a secret war?
1053
00:37:29,515 --> 00:37:31,515
A war that would not only be
1054
00:37:31,517 --> 00:37:33,517
fought against foreign enemies,
1055
00:37:33,519 --> 00:37:35,789
but even against American
1056
00:37:35,787 --> 00:37:38,357
citizens here at home?
1057
00:37:49,635 --> 00:37:51,895
>> NARRATOR: Washington, D.C.
1058
00:37:51,903 --> 00:37:55,443
February 6, 2013.
1059
00:37:55,441 --> 00:37:56,841
Under pressure from Congress,
1060
00:37:56,842 --> 00:37:59,412
President Barack Obama agrees to
1061
00:37:59,411 --> 00:38:00,711
allow the Senate and House
1062
00:38:00,712 --> 00:38:02,912
Intelligence Committees to
1063
00:38:02,914 --> 00:38:05,324
review classified legal memos
1064
00:38:05,317 --> 00:38:06,987
regarding a drone strike in
1065
00:38:06,985 --> 00:38:10,085
Yemen in 2011.
1066
00:38:10,088 --> 00:38:13,328
A strike that targeted and
1067
00:38:13,325 --> 00:38:17,095
killed a U.S. citizen.
1068
00:38:17,095 --> 00:38:19,965
Born in New Mexico, Anwar
1069
00:38:19,965 --> 00:38:22,595
al-Awlaki was a known al Qaeda
1070
00:38:22,601 --> 00:38:24,601
terrorist who was instrumental
1071
00:38:24,603 --> 00:38:26,613
in recruiting American jihadists
1072
00:38:26,605 --> 00:38:28,605
over the Internet.
1073
00:38:28,607 --> 00:38:30,607
Also killed in the strike was
1074
00:38:30,609 --> 00:38:32,309
his 16-year-old son,
1075
00:38:32,344 --> 00:38:34,884
Abdulrahman.
1076
00:38:34,880 --> 00:38:36,010
>> TARPLEY: Drone wars become
1077
00:38:36,014 --> 00:38:38,024
the object of a cover-up when,
1078
00:38:38,016 --> 00:38:39,646
for example, American citizens
1079
00:38:39,685 --> 00:38:41,485
are killed by drones.
1080
00:38:41,487 --> 00:38:43,617
Right, and we have one big
1081
00:38:43,622 --> 00:38:46,492
example: Anwar al-Awlaki.
1082
00:38:46,492 --> 00:38:48,832
That takes you beyond the pale.
1083
00:38:48,827 --> 00:38:50,627
That takes you into the targeted
1084
00:38:50,629 --> 00:38:52,499
assassination of U.S. citizens
1085
00:38:52,498 --> 00:38:55,098
without due process of law.
1086
00:38:55,100 --> 00:38:58,040
That may already be impeachable.
1087
00:38:58,036 --> 00:39:00,706
>> NARRATOR: With a growing
1088
00:39:00,706 --> 00:39:02,506
arsenal of high-tech tools
1089
00:39:02,508 --> 00:39:04,438
available to the White House,
1090
00:39:04,443 --> 00:39:06,853
has the commander in chief
1091
00:39:06,845 --> 00:39:09,975
gained even greater ability to
1092
00:39:09,981 --> 00:39:12,881
wage secret wars and conduct
1093
00:39:12,884 --> 00:39:15,724
covert operations?
1094
00:39:15,721 --> 00:39:17,861
Even when those operations
1095
00:39:17,856 --> 00:39:19,926
target U.S. citizens believed
1096
00:39:19,925 --> 00:39:23,655
to be engaged in acts of terror?
1097
00:39:23,662 --> 00:39:24,202
>> TARPLEY: We have Terror
1098
00:39:24,195 --> 00:39:25,525
Tuesdays at the White House
1099
00:39:25,531 --> 00:39:26,931
every week, with John Brennan
1100
00:39:26,932 --> 00:39:28,672
essentially deciding who's gonna
1101
00:39:28,667 --> 00:39:29,867
live and die.
1102
00:39:29,868 --> 00:39:31,138
Economic sanctions, economic
1103
00:39:31,136 --> 00:39:33,936
warfare, another important part.
1104
00:39:33,939 --> 00:39:35,739
Cyber warfare, color
1105
00:39:35,741 --> 00:39:38,741
revolutions, destabilizations,
1106
00:39:38,744 --> 00:39:41,184
what they call "buck passing."
1107
00:39:41,179 --> 00:39:42,549
If you want to bring down Libya,
1108
00:39:42,548 --> 00:39:43,748
don't attack Libya, let France
1109
00:39:43,749 --> 00:39:45,149
attack Libya.
1110
00:39:45,150 --> 00:39:46,490
You want to bring down Syria,
1111
00:39:46,485 --> 00:39:48,085
get Turkey to do most of the
1112
00:39:48,086 --> 00:39:51,086
dangerous work, and so forth.
1113
00:39:51,089 --> 00:39:52,159
So, this is a different kind
1114
00:39:52,157 --> 00:39:53,687
of foreign policy.
1115
00:39:53,692 --> 00:39:54,832
The drones are at the center of
1116
00:39:54,826 --> 00:39:57,496
it.
1117
00:39:57,496 --> 00:39:58,526
>> NARRATOR: Long-time observers
1118
00:39:58,530 --> 00:40:01,170
of Washington politics know a
1119
00:40:01,166 --> 00:40:03,696
full-fledged cover-up is only
1120
00:40:03,702 --> 00:40:05,072
attempted by the White House as
1121
00:40:05,070 --> 00:40:07,440
a last resort.
1122
00:40:07,439 --> 00:40:10,109
Not only is it less effective--
1123
00:40:10,108 --> 00:40:12,508
especially in today's 24/7
1124
00:40:12,511 --> 00:40:14,981
information age-- but it is also
1125
00:40:14,980 --> 00:40:17,120
less preferable to two other
1126
00:40:17,115 --> 00:40:19,515
means by which the president or
1127
00:40:19,518 --> 00:40:21,918
his staff may hide the truth:
1128
00:40:21,920 --> 00:40:24,160
spin...
1129
00:40:24,189 --> 00:40:27,129
and controlled leaking.
1130
00:40:27,125 --> 00:40:28,125
>> WEAD: Presidents are
1131
00:40:28,126 --> 00:40:29,726
masters... (chuckles)
1132
00:40:29,728 --> 00:40:30,998
...of the leak.
1133
00:40:30,996 --> 00:40:32,926
It's very valuable.
1134
00:40:32,931 --> 00:40:35,201
They use leaks all the time.
1135
00:40:35,200 --> 00:40:36,940
They may wake up in the morning
1136
00:40:36,935 --> 00:40:38,195
and that be the first order
1137
00:40:38,203 --> 00:40:39,743
of business is: what are we
1138
00:40:39,738 --> 00:40:42,738
leaking and how and why?
1139
00:40:42,741 --> 00:40:43,611
>> GENOVESE: A controlled leak
1140
00:40:43,609 --> 00:40:44,739
would be, for example, they'll
1141
00:40:44,743 --> 00:40:46,753
have a staffer call a friendly
1142
00:40:46,745 --> 00:40:47,805
news reporter and say,
1143
00:40:47,813 --> 00:40:49,483
"You know, the president's
1144
00:40:49,481 --> 00:40:50,721
thinking of appointing John
1145
00:40:50,749 --> 00:40:53,079
Smith to be Secretary of X."
1146
00:40:53,084 --> 00:40:54,954
And then they write about that
1147
00:40:54,953 --> 00:40:56,493
the next day in their column,
1148
00:40:56,488 --> 00:40:57,888
and then people start commenting
1149
00:40:57,889 --> 00:40:59,019
on it, and you see, well, oh,
1150
00:40:59,024 --> 00:41:00,764
there's a lot of kickback.
1151
00:41:00,759 --> 00:41:01,759
>> WEAD: There are things that
1152
00:41:01,760 --> 00:41:03,160
they want people to find that
1153
00:41:03,161 --> 00:41:04,761
they'll cover up because they
1154
00:41:04,763 --> 00:41:06,163
want them to find them.
1155
00:41:06,164 --> 00:41:07,774
And then there is misdirection
1156
00:41:07,766 --> 00:41:09,026
because they don't want them to
1157
00:41:09,034 --> 00:41:11,174
find something that they're on.
1158
00:41:11,169 --> 00:41:13,769
So that's how sophisticated
1159
00:41:13,772 --> 00:41:16,112
this spy versus spy versus spy
1160
00:41:16,107 --> 00:41:18,007
is at the presidential level.
1161
00:41:18,009 --> 00:41:19,079
>> MORGAN: We are in a brave
1162
00:41:19,110 --> 00:41:21,850
new world of transparency.
1163
00:41:21,847 --> 00:41:22,777
A brave new world where the
1164
00:41:22,781 --> 00:41:24,921
freedom of information is such
1165
00:41:24,916 --> 00:41:26,846
that people expect it at all
1166
00:41:26,852 --> 00:41:28,152
times.
1167
00:41:28,153 --> 00:41:29,593
>> NARRATOR: Have presidential
1168
00:41:29,588 --> 00:41:30,918
cover-ups become so
1169
00:41:30,922 --> 00:41:33,192
sophisticated that the American
1170
00:41:33,191 --> 00:41:35,191
public will never really know
1171
00:41:35,193 --> 00:41:37,063
what goes on behind the doors
1172
00:41:37,062 --> 00:41:39,802
of the Oval Office?
1173
00:41:39,798 --> 00:41:42,598
Are secret operations, covert
1174
00:41:42,601 --> 00:41:45,601
wars, and even political
1175
00:41:45,604 --> 00:41:48,814
assassinations actually being
1176
00:41:48,807 --> 00:41:51,277
perpetrated by the leaders of
1177
00:41:51,276 --> 00:41:53,176
the free world?
1178
00:41:53,178 --> 00:41:55,878
And if so, are they ever
1179
00:41:55,881 --> 00:41:57,881
justified?
1180
00:41:57,883 --> 00:41:58,883
>> JIM RASENBERGER: Presidential
1181
00:41:58,884 --> 00:42:00,294
cover-ups are necessary
1182
00:42:00,285 --> 00:42:02,245
sometimes for American national
1183
00:42:02,287 --> 00:42:03,557
security.
1184
00:42:03,555 --> 00:42:04,685
They're necessary when a
1185
00:42:04,690 --> 00:42:05,890
president has to undertake an
1186
00:42:05,891 --> 00:42:07,931
operation where it has to remain
1187
00:42:07,926 --> 00:42:09,626
secret or the entire operation
1188
00:42:09,628 --> 00:42:11,098
will get blown.
1189
00:42:11,096 --> 00:42:12,156
There are good reasons for
1190
00:42:12,163 --> 00:42:13,163
presidents to do things in
1191
00:42:13,164 --> 00:42:14,674
secret.
1192
00:42:14,666 --> 00:42:15,696
>> MORGAN: There was a time when
1193
00:42:15,701 --> 00:42:17,841
the public was much more
1194
00:42:17,836 --> 00:42:19,706
comfortable with the idea of a
1195
00:42:19,705 --> 00:42:20,835
presidential administration
1196
00:42:20,839 --> 00:42:21,709
that's willing to bend the
1197
00:42:21,707 --> 00:42:23,577
rules and a presidential
1198
00:42:23,575 --> 00:42:24,575
administration that's willing to
1199
00:42:24,576 --> 00:42:25,636
do things in a less than
1200
00:42:25,644 --> 00:42:26,984
transparent way.
1201
00:42:26,978 --> 00:42:28,948
But those days are gone.
1202
00:42:31,082 --> 00:42:32,852
>> NARRATOR: Perhaps the only
1203
00:42:32,851 --> 00:42:34,221
real protection the American
1204
00:42:34,219 --> 00:42:35,989
public can have against an
1205
00:42:35,987 --> 00:42:39,057
unscrupulous or unethical
1206
00:42:39,057 --> 00:42:41,957
commander in chief isn't from
1207
00:42:41,960 --> 00:42:44,200
the Constitution, but in the
1208
00:42:44,195 --> 00:42:47,125
form of personal judgment.
1209
00:42:47,132 --> 00:42:48,932
Because only in the voting
1210
00:42:48,934 --> 00:42:51,274
process can the public best
1211
00:42:51,269 --> 00:42:52,999
protect themselves.
1212
00:42:53,004 --> 00:42:55,974
And even then...
1213
00:42:55,974 --> 00:42:58,614
they can never be too sure.
1214
00:42:58,610 --> 00:42:59,380
>> PRESIDENT CLINTON: So help me
1215
00:42:59,377 --> 00:43:00,277
God.
1216
00:43:00,278 --> 00:43:01,148
>> PRESIDENT BUSH: So help me
1217
00:43:01,146 --> 00:43:02,146
God.
1218
00:43:02,147 --> 00:43:03,107
>> PRESIDENT OBAMA: So help me
1219
00:43:03,148 --> 00:43:04,248
God.
1220
00:43:04,249 --> 00:43:05,249
Captioning sponsored by
1221
00:43:05,250 --> 00:43:07,820
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