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Dems Seek Roberts' Documents on Iran-Contra Aid

By Jeralyn, Section John Roberts
Posted on Thu Aug 25, 2005 at 08:35:09 PM EST
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Yale Law Prof and blogger Jack Balkin explains why the Administration should turn over memos from Judge John Roberts to then-Reagan aide Patrick J. Buchanan in March 1986 on the subject of aid to Nicaraguans who were fighting the leftist Sandinista government. Background from the Washington Post is here. Balkin writes:

....during his time in the Reagan Administration John Roberts offered advice on the establishment of the Nicaraguan Humanitarian Assistance Office (NHAO), an organization used by the Reagan Administration to circumvent the Boland Amendment. For those of you who don't remember, the Boland Amendment made it illegal for U.S. intelligence agencies to provide covert funding to the contras in Nicaragua.

Balkin says that to get around the amendment, Reagan approved a plan by John Poindexter and Oliver North to sell anti-tank and anti-aircraft missles to Iran, the funds from which were then provided to the contras.

The NHAO was formed within the State Department to provide what was, at least on the surface, legitimate humanitarian assistance to Nicaragua; Oliver North, however, used it to send money and supplies that the CIA couldn't send directly. Put another way, he used the NHAO as a cover for illegal covert funding for the contras in violation of federal law.

Back to where Judge John Roberts comes in:

We do not know what Roberts' role was in any of this. For example, he might simply have been asked to set up the NHAO for purely humanitarian purposes and then North infilitrated and twisted the organization for his own illegal ends. If so, there's nothing in the file on the NHAO that should be problematic for Roberts. He simply did what any good lawyer would do for his client.

On the other hand, if Roberts was asked to justify circumventing the Boland Amendment in any way, he would have been a hitherto unknown part of the Iran-Contra scandal. If that were so, it would be inappropriate for someone who had participated in fomenting a serious constitutional scandal to be rewarded with a Supreme Court appointment.

And that's why the files should be turned over.

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    Dems Seek Roberts' Documents on Iran-Contra Aid | 5 comments (5 topical)
    Re: Dems Seek Roberts' Documents on Iran-Contra Ai (none / 0) (#1)
    by DawesFred60 on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:45 PM EST
    Most of you were not working in the 1980s so you just don't know what the rat reagan did to millions of us little low life nothing's, but i remember that time when millions of people were made homeless, lost jobs and family because of Reagan rat, i also remember what lies came out and what Robert's pig did to cover-up and how he used us all to make billions for the rich, i remember how he used the little guys to cover-up the big money deals and helped drug dealers and helped to open the borders to some real evil pigs who are now in power in the mideast and south america and here in the land of freedom, oh yes you don't need to tell me anything i know what a real pig is and that pig is in the white house and using robert's once more to do you a real number. drugs for guns and cash for the rich boy's fun and games on you.

    Re: Dems Seek Roberts' Documents on Iran-Contra Ai (none / 0) (#2)
    by scarshapedstar on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:45 PM EST
    But he said it was morning in America and sat on a horse! Actually, that's pretty sad how Bush can't even do that, mewling infant that he is. Maybe I can get one of the five-year-old girls from the summer camp I worked at as a kid to teach him how; they didn't have any problems riding a horse. And he didn't even develop a degenerative brain disorder whlie in office! Well, ok, now that I mention it...

    Re: Dems Seek Roberts' Documents on Iran-Contra Ai (none / 0) (#3)
    by Aaron on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:46 PM EST
    I'd love to see what John Roberts had to say about the EEOC during the 80s. The Reagan administration basically gutted the EEOC, reducing the number of active investigations by more than three quarters. Somehow Clarence Thomas, the then EEOC Chairman, didn't have much compassion for people being discriminated against and HARASSED in the workplace, go figure. Back then Clarence was a virile young man, a man's man. That Anita Hill was just some kind of a prude who was mad at Clarence, because he wouldn't give her any. I mean come on, talking about the size of your penis and porn stars like Long dong Silver with the women who work for you, is the most natural thing in the world. We all know how women love that kind of thing, even if they won't admit it. And of course when they say no, what they really mean is "just take me big fella!"

    Re: Dems Seek Roberts' Documents on Iran-Contra Ai (none / 0) (#4)
    by DawesFred60 on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:46 PM EST
    Aaron loved that..it is great old Clarence got away with rape. Robert distressed that anyone cared about rape in the work place, and he did say "It was a lie and it will come out in the end"...meaning cover-up and mass propaganda, the woman was disappeard into the background and never heard from again, Robert's made point's with Bush One for helping in that cover-up because Bush one had Plans for his guy Clarence, in the future and had to keep him in government for the deal with some black political people in the 1990s

    Re: Dems Seek Roberts' Documents on Iran-Contra Ai (none / 0) (#5)
    by Randinho on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:47 PM EST
    Balkin says that to get around the amendment, Reagan approved a plan by John Poindexter and Oliver North to sell anti-tank and anti-aircraft missles to Iran, the funds from which were then provided to the contras. I'll never forget what Boland himself said when he got the chance to question Ollie North (and I'm paraphrasing from memory here):
    "A number of people have referred to the Boland Amendment, but I prefer to call it what it is: the law."
    I also like what Senator George Mitchell said to North (and again, I'm paraphrasing from memory here):
    "Colonel North, you said "for the love of our country, we have to support the Contras. There are many people, Colonel who love this country no less than you do and believe that the policy of support for the Contras is very wrong."
    Too bad they are both retired from politics.

    Dems Seek Roberts' Documents on Iran-Contra Aid | 5 comments (5 topical)