Snapshot · Stuff You Should Know
14 people were charged in the Iran-Contra criminal investigation, but North's conviction was overturned and Bush issued Christmas Eve pardons freeing everyone else.
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At 44:20 · chapter starts 44:00
The criminal phase of Iran-Contra produced 14 indictments but vanishingly little punishment. Oliver North was found guilty on 3 counts — one being acceptance of a $16,000 home security system from Secord, paid with Iran-Contra profits — but his convictions were overturned on a technicality. Albert Hakim received 2 years probation and a $5,000 fine. Richard Secord, who had actually set up the shell companies and run the money, received 2 years probation. Then, on Christmas Eve 1992 as George H.W. Bush was leaving office, he issued 6 pardons, including preemptive pardons for Caspar Weinberger and Dewey Claridge before they had even stood trial. [1] — Chuck Bryant "President George H.W. Bush issued 6 pardons on Christmas Eve as he was leaving office, freeing all key Iran-Contra figures including Caspar…" 45:18 This final act drew particular fury because Bush himself had withheld subpoenaed diary entries showing he had full knowledge of the scandal throughout — entries he claimed not to realize had been requested. Independent Counsel Lawrence Walsh declared the Iran-Contra cover-up complete and publicly accused Bush of 'arrogant disregard for the rule of law.'
One of Oliver North's three guilty verdicts was for accepting a $16,000 home security system paid for by Richard Secord using Iran-Contra funds.
President George H.W. Bush issued 6 pardons on Christmas Eve as he was leaving office, freeing all key Iran-Contra figures including Caspar Weinberger and Dewey Claridge, who hadn't yet stood trial. North's conviction had already been overturned on a technicality. The men who ran the operation got 2 years probation each.
George H.W. Bush withheld subpoenaed diary entries that indicated he had full knowledge of Iran-Contra throughout, only surrendering them in 1992 after a second request.
George H.W. Bush withheld subpoenaed diary entries showing he had full knowledge of Iran-Contra throughout. When finally pressed in 1992, he claimed he didn't realize they'd been asked for. Independent Counsel Lawrence Walsh declared the cover-up complete and accused Bush of 'arrogant disregard for the rule of law.'
Reagan's approval rating dropped from 63% to as low as 43% in the span of a couple of months after Iran-Contra was exposed.
In his 1990 Iran-Contra deposition, Ronald Reagan said 'I don't remember' or 'I don't recall' 88 times. Despite the scandal, his approval rating recovered from 43% back to the low 60s — making him the most popular president since FDR upon leaving office.
Harold Ramis recounted that during Caddyshack filming, storms kept the cast cooped up in a Florida hotel for days, during which they partied and did drugs all day and night.
In the 1820s, China accounted for 25% of global economic output, making it the world's largest economic machine — a historical precedent for its current AI superpower ambitions.
66 Americans held hostage at the US Embassy in Iran were released after 444 days, within hours of Reagan's inauguration.
In the first round of the secret arms deal, 508 TOW missiles were transferred from Israel to Iran in exchange for hostage releases.
America secretly transferred 2,000 missiles and missile parts to Iran across 8 separate shipments over just over a year.
Despite all the missile sales, only 3 of the 7 American hostages held by Lebanese terrorists were ultimately released.
The CIA supply plane that blew open the scandal was flying at only 2,500 feet in broad daylight when it was shot down on October 5, 1986.
In his 1990 deposition about Iran-Contra, Ronald Reagan said 'I don't remember' or 'I don't recall' 88 times.
Reagan's approval rating dropped from 63% to as low as 43% in the span of a couple of months after Iran-Contra was exposed.
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