University of Virginia Library

Nixon Pleads Insanity

In light of President Nixon's announced
opposition last week to insanity pleas as a
defense in criminal court cases, it is somewhat
ironic that only a few days later, perjury
charges were levied against high
administration officials and more names were
added to the ever growing list of conspirators
in the continuing Watergate caper. His own
opposition may have unconsciously and
unintentionally thrown his only eventual
outlet from this mess out the proverbial
window.

Last week Mr. Nixon spoke of the urgent
need to "get tough" on crime. Among his
proposals were reinstatement of the death
penalty and abolition of insanity pleas. But
the longer the administration's deceit
continues with regard to last fall's spying at
Democratic National Headquarters, the more
likely an aroused and impatient public might
opt precisely for Mr. Nixon's sentiment,
effectively cutting off his only escape valve.

Just when the entire Watergate affair
seemed to have quieted down and the silent
administration appeared to have gotten off
the hook, James W. McCord Jr., chief of
security for the President's re-election
campaign organization and himself a
convicted Watergate conspirator, broke that
silence, producing a list of persons including
two high administration officials whom he
claimed had prior knowledge of the plot.

Mr. McCord further insisted that "there
was political pressure applied to the
defendants to plead guilty and remain silent."

This statement was made in private by
Mr. McCord to U.S. District Court Judge John
J. Sirica in Washington last Friday. Mr.
McCord emphasized that he would not speak
anywhere where a representative of the
administration or an agent of the FBI might
be present because he said "several members
of my family have expressed fear for my life
if I disclose knowledge of the facts in this
matter, either publicly or to any government
representative."

Mr. McCord later informed Senate
investigating committee special counsel
Samuel Dash that pressure had been exerted
on the other conspirators to plead guilty,
telling them that they would receive
"executive clemency" and money for doing
so.

This whole affair has been drawn out so
long with denials and then retractions,
accusations and then apologies, that we are at
times cynical enough to question even Mr.
McCord's statements. Nevertheless, should
they prove accurate and the Nixon
administration become further involved,
there will be little left for the administration
to do but plead insanity. Intentionally or not,
it has already bungled its own investigation
and day by day it is becoming more deeply
implicated than it will ever care or dare to
admit.