While I am not a constitutional or government scholar by any means, I believe that if Carter wanted to persue the matter any further, he would have had to get congressional approval to demand that the CIA turn over those files.


As you already know our government is set up with a system of checks and balances so as not to allow one position in government or one branch of government more power than another. So I believe that in a case like this the President would have needed to act under the authorization of Congress in order to maximize his authority.