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this post was submitted on 14 Aug 2023
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Today I Learned
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Watergate was a state secret.
No ot wasn't. The break in was not in the name of the US Government. It was in the name of a presidential candidate.
The information given to the reporters was confidential information. I don't know how to tell you this other than that confidential information held by the government is a state secret. There's no actual term "state secret". There's just public and non-public information and various tiers within that framework.
Yeah you make good points. I think Watergate is still very different because the initial crime wasn't on behalf of or sanctioned by the government. The wider cover-up was to an extent. I think there is some gray area too. Like you say there is no "state secret". But when is confidential information held by the government vs individuals within the government holding confidential information? An individual within the government can keep a secret from both the broader government and the public.
The information Felt released wasn't just something only he knew. It's simply that it wasn't enough on its own and no one was chasing down the proper leads due to the coverup in play. The White House is the government. The administration partook in the coverup. Its just fewer people in the government being part of a coverup. Anything that's illegal is still illegal. The government is behind both, it's simply a matter of how much and what parts of the government.