Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login

    Q: So what in a sense you’re saying is that there are certain situations…where the president can decide that it’s in the best interests of the nation or something, and do something illegal.

    NIXON: Well, when the president does it, that means that it is not illegal.

    Q: By definition.

    NIXON: Exactly, exactly.



In case you were interested and wanted the (mostly) full quote[0]:

David Frost[1]: ...Would you say that there are certain situations - and the Huston Plan was one of them - where the president can decide that it's in the best interests of the nation, and do something illegal?

Richard Nixon[2]: Well, when the president does it, that means it is not illegal.

Frost: By definition.

Nixon: Exactly, exactly. If the president, for example, approves something because of the national security, or in this case because of a threat to internal peace and order of significant magnitude, then the president's decision in that instance is one that enables those who carry it out, to carry it out without violating a law. Otherwise they're in an impossible position.

Frost: The point is: the dividing line is the president's judgment?

Nixon: Yes, and, so that one does not get the impression that a president can run amok in this country and get away with it, we have to have in mind that a president has to come up before the electorate. We also have to have in mind that a president has to get appropriations from the Congress. We have to have in mind, for example, that as far as the CIA's covert operations are concerned, as far as the FBI's covert operations are concerned, through the years, they have been disclosed on a very, very limited basis to trusted members of Congress.

[0] - http://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2007/sep/07/greatinte...

[1] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Frost

[2] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Nixon


Yep... Love that phrase "the FBI's covert operations" ...

Nothing makes the police sound like fascist paramilitary thugs faster than "covert operations".





Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: