Richard Ben-Veniste Quotes

Powerful Richard Ben-Veniste for Daily Growth

About Richard Ben-Veniste

Richard Ben-Veniste is a renowned American lawyer, author, and investigator who has made significant contributions to legal literature and public service. Born on October 13, 1946, in New York City, he grew up in a family of intellectuals, which played a pivotal role in shaping his career path. Ben-Veniste graduated from Columbia University with a Bachelor's degree in 1968 and went on to earn his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1971. After serving as a law clerk for the Hon. Edward Weinfeld of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, he joined the prestigious law firm Debevoise & Plimpton LLP. Throughout his career, Ben-Veniste has been deeply involved in public service. He was a member of the Watergate Special Prosecution Force (1973-1974), where he played a key role in the investigation leading to the resignation of President Richard Nixon. In 1983, he was appointed as General Counsel for the Senate Select Committee on Secret Military Assistance to Iran and the Sale of U.S. Arms to Iranian-Backed Rebels in Lebanon (the "Tower Commission"). As an author, Ben-Veniste has written extensively on legal and political issues. His book "The Great Cover-Up: Operation Dick Cheney" (2011) provides a detailed account of the Vice President's role in the CIA leak case involving Valerie Plame Wilson. Ben-Veniste continues to practice law, teach, write, and serve on various boards and commissions. His work has been instrumental in holding powerful individuals accountable for their actions, making him a significant figure in both the legal and political arenas.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Truth is the first casualty when partisanship reigns."

This quote suggests that in environments dominated by partisanship, truth often becomes a victim due to biased perspectives and loyalties, leading to the distortion or disregard of facts. It underscores the importance of objectivity and impartiality in upholding the truth during debates and discussions, especially in situations where strong allegiances may cloud judgment.


"The law is a set of principles and rules designed to govern behavior and resolve disputes fairly and impartially, but it can be an imperfect tool when those who enforce it are subject to political pressures or personal biases."

This quote by Richard Ben-Veniste highlights the dual nature of law as both a guiding system for ethical conduct and conflict resolution, and as a human construct that can be influenced by external factors such as political pressures and personal biases. He suggests that despite its intended impartiality, the application of law may not always be fair or just when those entrusted with enforcing it are subject to these external influences. The quote serves as a reminder of the need for transparency, integrity, and accountability in the legal system to ensure justice is served fairly and equitably.


"Justice may not always be swift, but it must always be just."

This quote emphasizes the importance of fairness and integrity in the administration of justice. It suggests that while justice might take time, it should never compromise its core principles of being impartial and equitable. The message encourages patience in pursuing justice, as long as it remains just, thereby ensuring a society based on principles of equity and fairness.


"In a democracy, the rule of law is paramount. It is the foundation upon which our society is built, and it is the guardian of individual rights and freedoms."

This quote emphasizes the fundamental importance of the rule of law in a democratic society. The rule of law signifies that all individuals are subject to the same laws, regardless of their status or power, and that these laws are applied fairly and consistently. It safeguards individual rights and freedoms by ensuring equal treatment under the law, protecting citizens from arbitrary government actions, and fostering a fair and just society where everyone is treated equally before the law. In essence, the rule of law serves as the backbone of democracy, preserving its values and promoting social stability.


"There are those who say that we can't afford truth and justice. I say we can't afford to live without them."

This quote emphasizes the importance of upholding truth and justice as essential foundations for a sustainable, functional society. Richard Ben-Veniste suggests that neglecting these principles results in long-term harm to our collective wellbeing, rather than offering immediate short-term advantages. In essence, he posits that truth and justice are indispensable components of an enduring, prosperous life.


In an age when many of our citizens casually reveal information about themselves in social media wildly beyond anything imaginable only a decade ago, it would seem to be a useful exercise in civics to re-educate the public about the value and purpose of protecting against unwarranted government intrusion.

- Richard Ben-Veniste

Purpose, Decade, Reveal, Intrusion

And it turned out that the Roberts Commission did not fully utilize the information available and that it came to conclusions which were I think quite short sighted and, indeed, in some cases, scapegoated individuals.

- Richard Ben-Veniste

Think, Some, Which, Conclusions

Well, our concern has to do with the period prior to 9/11, up to and including the catastrophe that occurred. And thank goodness, we're not obliged to make assessments of what's going on now and deal with these current events.

- Richard Ben-Veniste

Deal, Obliged, Our, Current Events

We've got a daunting enough task to provide a definitive account of what happened in 9/11, without fear or favor, something that will last and will survive criticism over time. And we think we can do that with integrity in a bipartisan report.

- Richard Ben-Veniste

Think, Survive, Over, Definitive

Were there contacts over time between Iraq and al-Qaeda? Yes, there were efforts made to communicate. We found no evidence of collaboration in any effort to mount any kind of operation against the United States' interests.

- Richard Ben-Veniste

Over, United States, Mount

I like Harvey Keitel. I liked him in 'Mean Streets.' I'm a fan.

- Richard Ben-Veniste

Fan, Streets, Like, Harvey

Well, our position, and our chairman has talked about this extensively, is that we had a lot of intelligence prior to 9/11. We knew that two al Qaeda operatives who ultimately participated in the 9/11 disaster were in the United States. We didn't find them.

- Richard Ben-Veniste

United, About, Had, Qaeda

No connection between Iraq and the 9/11 catastrophe.

- Richard Ben-Veniste

Catastrophe, Iraq, No Connection

Our mandate expects that we will build on the Joint Inquiry's investigation and we will not be re-inventing the wheel. But we go to places which the Joint Inquiry was not permitted to explore.

- Richard Ben-Veniste

Which, Mandate, Joint, Expects

While I do not believe Ford was wrong to pardon Nixon, the timing of the pardon was premature and may have cost Ford the margin of victory in the 1976 election.

- Richard Ben-Veniste

Cost, Margin, Nixon, Premature

Gerald R. Ford was a decent and honorable man. Under his steady hand, the nation began the process of recovering from the terrible trauma of Watergate - the lies, distortions, cover-ups, misuses of federal agencies to exact political revenge, illegal wiretapping, burglaries.

- Richard Ben-Veniste

Nation, Ford, Recovering, Honorable

The real question was, here we had this information, Bin Laden intends to strike in the United States. We knew they had struck before in 1993 at the World Trade Center in the first bombing of the trade center.

- Richard Ben-Veniste

Here, World Trade Center, Struck

But as I said to Dr. Rice following her testimony, and I think she appreciated it, we had our job to do and we did it best we could, trying to get answers to the important questions that the 9/11 Commission must answer.

- Richard Ben-Veniste

Questions, Answers, I Think, Testimony

At bottom, the decision to pardon Nixon was a political judgment properly within the bounds of Ford's constitutional authority. The specter of a former president in the criminal dock as our country moved into its bicentennial year was profoundly disturbing.

- Richard Ben-Veniste

Country, Year, Nixon, Bounds

When Richard M. Nixon resigned and Ford became the 38th president of the United States, the Watergate Special Prosecutor's Office, of which I was a member, was preparing for the criminal trials of Nixon's top aides - H.R. Haldeman, John Ehrlichman and John Mitchell.

- Richard Ben-Veniste

United, Became, Nixon, Resigned

Without the tape-recorded evidence demonstrating irrefutably, in Nixon's own voice, his knowledge of and active involvement in obstruction of justice, it is likely that Nixon would have escaped impeachment and removal from office.

- Richard Ben-Veniste

Voice, Likely, Nixon, Removal

So we knew their intentions were to strike in the United States. We also knew from other sources of dozens of examples of where the notion of using planes as weapons was discussed.

- Richard Ben-Veniste

Other, United States, Dozens, Weapons

With respect to the FBI, they had problems communicating in a vertical way, within the FBI itself, so that information of importance could get pushed up to those who were decision-makers.

- Richard Ben-Veniste

Within, Could, Importance, Decision-Makers

Well, our statute provides us with authority to conduct a very broad inquiry basically to provide an investigation of 9/11 that's thorough, complete and will withstand the scrutiny of history.

- Richard Ben-Veniste

History, Will, Very, Thorough

Only the last two planes, I think, had any shot of being intercepted and taken down on 9/11.

- Richard Ben-Veniste

Think, Last, I Think, Planes

It was not easy to get all my questions answered, frankly.

- Richard Ben-Veniste

Questions, Get, Frankly, Answered

We've had public hearings. We've had interim reports, which our statute has encouraged us to provide to the public. We have brought the public along with us, trying to make as much available as possible over time.

- Richard Ben-Veniste

Over, Which, Reports, Encouraged

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