1975. Geraldo Rivera on his Good Night America program hosts Elsa Gutierrez and Elizabeth Bettner, former undercover liaisons for the IRS.
“Let me give a little background. States attorney Gerstein in 1972, was one of the first prosecutors to start investigation of the Watergate related scandal. And you’re saying the IRS ordered an investigation of his conduct after he started that Watergate investigation…”
Elsa details her superiors at the IRS asking her to get intimate with Richard Gerstein and other aspects of her career. She names the special agent in charge who gave her the instructions.
Later in the segment Ms. Bettner is brought on stage, where she paints a much different picture of undercover IRS activities. She details her career and how she became involved intelligence gathering for the Internal Revenue Service.
The women are at odds over honest government, and whether the IRS is part of that honest government. Elizabeth claims the agency is not acting in a partisan manner and Elsa claims nearly the opposite. The women were in different roles with one as a years long employee, and the other as a years long informant.
Richard Gerstein was State Attorney for Miami-Dade county and obtained the first conviction in the Watergate scandal. He resigned from public service in 1977.
This day, Geraldo’s television history.