Debategate
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Debategate was a scandal affecting the administration of Ronald Reagan; it involved the final days of the 1980 presidential election. Briefing papers that were to have been used by President Jimmy Carter in preparation for the October 28, 1980, debate with Reagan had somehow been acquired by Reagan's team. This fact was not divulged to the public until late June 1983, after Laurence Barrett published Gambling With History: Reagan in the White House, an in-depth account of the Reagan administration's first two years.
James Baker swore under oath that he had received the briefing book from William Casey while Casey vehemently denied this. The matter was never resolved as both the FBI and a congressional subcommittee failed to determine how or through whom the briefing book came to the Reagan campaign. [1]
The Justice Department, in closing its investigation, cited "the professed lack of memory or knowledge on the part of those in possession of the documents." But it said the contradictions between Reagan aides like Mr. Baker and Mr. Casey "could be explained by differences in recollection or interpretation."[2]
Following a brief period of heavy press coverage immediately after the story broke, interest in Debategate quickly subsided, and Reagan escaped without permanent damage to his reputation.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Reagan Assures Casey He Can Stay as CIA Chief in New Term?", Washington Post, 11 September 1984
- ^ "Campaign Papers Remain a Mystery", New York Times, 18 June 1984
