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and the aftermath.

I think one of the great things press people ought to do is go into government to see how it

works because what you found out is that most people in government is 98 percent are

trying to do the right thing and it's a very tough job.

We write about thinking we know what's going on in fact.

Richard Nixon left office and his records became government records.

The first time anybody at least in my mind really saw what went on in the White House and

you saw how complex the White House was.

And every every year since when I talked to people who cover the White House in the

other stuff, I said go to any president who library and just read some of the records

to see what's going on.

If Richard Nixon was having a White House dinner, the file of who's going to be invited

and who isn't and why is about four inches thick.

It's just stunning to think about that.

I'm Quinta Jurassic and this is the LawFair podcast August 13th, 2016.

That was Walter Pinkis, the Washington Post's recently retired National Security reporter.

Walter sat down with Benjamin Wittis at the Hoover Book Swarray to discuss his essay,

Reflections on Secrecy and the Press from a Life and Journalism.

...