Iran-Contra Affair and Resignation
The Iran-Contra affair involved running arms to Iran in order to facilitate the release of American hostages, and later involved funneling the arms money to support the Contras in Nicaragua. As National Security Adviser, McFarlane urged Reagan to negotiate the arms deal with Iranian intermediaries, but McFarlane says that by late December 1985 he was urging Reagan to end the arms shipments. McFarlane resigned on December 5, 1985, citing that he wanted to spend more time with his family; he was replaced by Admiral John Poindexter.
The Iran-Contra Affair came to light in November 1986, and a political scandal ensued. Disheartened, feeling abused by his former colleagues, and in depression over the embarrassment for the President that his actions had contributed to, McFarlane attempted suicide with an overdose of valium on February 9, 1987, saying he had failed his country.
In 1988, he pleaded guilty to four misdemeanor counts of withholding information from Congress as part of the Iran-Contra cover-up. He was sentenced to two years’ probation and a $20,000 fine but was pardoned by President George H.W. Bush on Christmas Eve 1992 along with the other key players in the scandal, during the lame duck period of Bush's presidency.
Read more about this topic: Robert McFarlane
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