It’s hard to believe it’s been 44 years. On this day in 1973, a U.S. Senate committee headed by Senator James “Sam” Erwin of North Carolina began televised hearings on the June 1972 break-in at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C. The Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities was investigating the incident at which police had arrested five men for the unlawful entry to the Democratic National Committee headquarters, where they installed illegal wiretapping equipment.
Information obtained from the wiretaps would have been useful to those who wanted to assist President Richard Nixon in obtaining a second term in office. Erwin’s folksy approach, combined with his extensive knowledge of the law and the Constitution, made him an ideal choice to head the controversial investigation. The Senate hearings gripped the nation, especially when former White House counsel John Dean testified that Nixon himself had been aware of the crime and subsequent cover-up. Nixon resigned the presidency on August 3, 1974, rather than face impeachment and removal from office.
Here’s the lesson. No man is above the law. And when we break the law – man’s or God’s – there is always a price to pay. From Richard Nixon we know this: we choose our actions, but not the consequences.