Constitutional Crisis
Americans during the time of the Iran-Contra Affair felt as though their right to know about government affairs was violated. Many citizens believed that there was in imbalance of power in the government and to America, President Reagan had too much power.
"The Iran-Contra Affairs involved concerted efforts by the executive branch to work around the restrictions and intent of Congress. “The Enterprise” was a kind of privatization of foreign policy, conducted in secret and without the balance of powers envisioned by the constitution." |
"It was a grand scheme that violated American law and policy all around: Arms sales to Iran were prohibited; the U.S. government had long forbidden ransom of any sort for hostages; and it was illegal to fund the contras above the limits set by Congress." |
-Dir. David Kasper, Cover-Up: Behind the Iran-Conta Affair, 1988
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"The most critical special operations mission we |
There was a power struggle between the two bodies of government, the Executive and the Legislative branch. The Constitution had established the idea of checks and balances, which limits the amount of power one branch has over another, but the Iran-Contra Affair squashed this principle, by bypassing the Legislative branch it created a one body government.
"For at its heart Iran-Contra was a battle over presidential power dating back directly to the Richard Nixon era of Watergate, Vietnam and CIA dirty tricks. That clash continues under the presidency of George W. Bush, which has come under frequent fire for the controversial efforts of the president, as well as Vice President Richard Cheney, to expand Executive Branch authority over numerous areas of public life."
-The National Security Archive
"For the past 3 months, I've been silent on the revelations about Iran. And you must have been thinking: 'Well, why doesn't he tell us what's happening? Why doesn't he just speak to us as he has in the past when we've faced troubles or tragedies?' Others of you, I guess, were thinking: 'What's he doing hiding out in the White House?' Well, the reason I haven't spoken to you before now is this: You deserve the truth. And as frustrating as the waiting has been, I felt it was improper to come to you with sketchy reports, or possibly even erroneous statements, which would then have to be corrected, creating even more doubt and confusion. There's been enough of that. I've paid a price for my silence in terms of your trust and confidence. But I've had to wait, as you have, for the complete story."
-Ronald Reagan, Address to the Nation on the Iran Arms and Contra Aid Controversy, 1987
People who were involved with the Iran-Contra Affair had treaded on unmarked grounds. With the Watergate Scandal being around 12 years prior, Congressman became wary of impeachment, considering most didn't know how the public would respond to another full-blown public scandal.
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"To win this war at home, the White House created a sophisticated apparatus that mixed propaganda with intimidation, consciously misleading the American people and at times trampling on the right to dissent. In short, the administration set out to reshape American perceptions of Central America; and the Orwellian methods employed could be one of the most troubling legacies of Reagan's presidency." |
"The Constitution requires the President to 'take care that the laws be faithfully executed.' This charge encompasses a responsibility to leave the members of his Administration in no doubt that the rule of law governs."
-The Iran-Contra Report
"In a constitutional democracy, it is not true, as one official maintained, that 'When you take the king's shilling, you do the king's bidding.' The idea of monarchy was rejected here 200 years ago and since then, the law -not any official or ideology - has been paramount. For not instilling this precept in his stiff, for failing to take care that the law reigned supreme, the President bears the responsibility."
-The Iran-Contra Report