The fact is, and the thing that is so appalling to me, is that the President, when this whole idea was suggested to him, didn't in righteous indignation rise up and say "get out of here. You are in the office of the President of the United States. How can you talk about blackmail and bribery and keeping witnesses silent? This is the Presidency of the United States!", and throw them out of his office, and pick up the phone and call the Department of Justice and tell them "there is obstruction of justice going on, someone is trying to buy the silence of a witness." But my President didn't do that. He sat there, and he worked and worked to try to cover this thing up so it wouldn't come to light.

Opening statement of Hon. Lawrence J. Hogan in the Debate on Articles of Impeachment, Committee on the Judiciary, July 24, 1974.