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John Dean | |
|---|---|
 Dean at the White House, 1973 | |
| White House Counsel | |
| In office July 9, 1970 – April 30, 1973 | |
| President | Richard Nixon |
| Preceded by | Chuck Colson |
| Succeeded by | Leonard Garment |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Wesley Dean III (1938-10-14)October 14, 1938 (age 87) Akron, Ohio, U.S. |
| Party | Republican (formerly) Independent |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | |
John Wesley Dean III (born October 14, 1938) is a disbarred American attorney who served asWhite House Counsel for U.S. PresidentRichard Nixon from July 1970 until April 1973. Dean is known for his role in the cover-up of theWatergate scandal and his subsequent testimony to Congress as a witness. His guilty plea to a singlefelony in exchange for becoming a key witness for the prosecution ultimately resulted in a reduced sentence, which he served atFort Holabird in SoutheastBaltimore, Maryland. After his plea, he wasdisbarred.
Shortly after theWatergate hearings, Dean wrote about his experiences in a series of books and toured the United States to lecture. He later became a commentator on contemporary politics, a book author, and a columnist for FindLaw'sWrit.
Dean had originally been a proponent ofGoldwater-style conservatism, but he later became a critic of theRepublican Party. Dean has been particularly critical of the party's support of PresidentsGeorge W. Bush andDonald Trump, and ofneoconservatism,strong executive power,mass surveillance, and theIraq War.
Dean was born inAkron, Ohio, and lived inMarion, the hometown of the 29th President of the United States,Warren Harding, whose biographer he later became.[1] His family moved toFlossmoor, Illinois, where he attended grade school. For high school, he attendedStaunton Military Academy withBarry Goldwater Jr., the son of Sen.Barry Goldwater, and became a close friend of the family.[2] He attendedColgate University and then transferred to theCollege of Wooster inOhio, where he obtained his B.A. in 1961. He received aJuris Doctor (J.D.) from theGeorgetown University Law Center in 1965.[3]
Dean married Karla Ann Hennings, the daughter of SenatorThomas C. Hennings Jr. of Missouri, on February 4, 1962; they had one child, John Wesley Dean IV, before divorcing in 1970. Dean married Maureen (Mo) Kane on October 13, 1972.[4]
After graduation, Dean joined Welch & Morgan, a law firm in Washington, D.C., where he was soon accused of conflict of interest violations and fired:[2] he was alleged to have started negotiating his own private deal for a TV station broadcast license, after his firm had assigned him to complete the same task for a client.[5]
Dean was employed from 1966 to 1967 as chief minority counsel to the Republicans on theUnited States House Committee on the Judiciary. Dean then served as associate director of the National Commission on Reform of Federal Criminal Laws for approximately two years.[6]
| External videos | |
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 1973 Watergate Hearings; 1973-06-25; Part 1 of 6, 1:07:59,Library of Congress,American Archive of Public Broadcasting (WGBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC[7] |
Dean volunteered to write position papers on crime forRichard Nixon's presidential campaign in 1968. The following year, he became an associate deputy in the office of theAttorney General of the United States, serving under Attorney GeneralJohn N. Mitchell, with whom he was on friendly terms. In July 1970, he accepted an appointment to serve as counsel to the president, after the previous holder of this post,Chuck Colson, became the president's director of theOffice of Public Liaison.
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On January 27, 1972, Dean, theWhite House Counsel, met withJeb Magruder (Deputy Director of theCommittee to Re-Elect the President, or CRP and CREEP) and Mitchell (Attorney General of the United States, and soon-to-be Director of CRP), in Mitchell's office, for a presentation byG. Gordon Liddy (counsel for CRP and a formerFBI agent). Liddy presented a preliminary plan for intelligence-gathering operations during the campaign. Reaction to Liddy's plan was highly unfavorable. Liddy was ordered to scale down his ideas, and he presented a revised plan to the same group on February 4, which was also left unapproved.[8]
In late March in Florida, Mitchell approved a scaled-down plan. This revised plan eventually led to attempts to eavesdrop on theDemocratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters at theWatergate complex in Washington, D.C., and to theWatergate scandal. The burglars' first break-in attempt in late May was successful, but several problems had arisen with poor-quality information from their bugs, and they wanted to photograph more documents. Specifically, the burglars were interested in information they thought was held by DNC headLawrence F. O'Brien. On their second break-in, on the night of June 16, hotel security discovered the burglars. After the burglars' arrest, Dean took custody of evidence and money from the White House safe ofE. Howard Hunt, who had been in charge of the burglaries, and destroyed some of the evidence before investigators could find it.[9][page needed]
On February 28, 1973, ActingFBI DirectorL. Patrick Gray testified before theSenate Judiciary Committee during his nomination to replaceJ. Edgar Hoover as director of theFBI. Armed with newspaper articles indicating the White House had possession of FBI Watergate files, committee chairSam Ervin asked Gray what he knew about the White House obtaining the files. Gray said he had given FBI reports to Dean, and had discussed the FBI investigation with Dean on many occasions. It also came out that Gray had destroyed important evidence Dean entrusted to him. Gray's nomination failed and Dean was directly linked to the Watergate cover-up.
White House Chief of StaffH. R. Haldeman later claimed that Nixon appointed Dean to take the lead role in coordinating the Watergate cover-up from an early stage and that this cover-up was working very well for many months. Certain aspects of the scandal came to light beforeElection Day, but Nixon was reelected by a landslide.[10]
On March 22, 1973, Nixon requested that Dean put together a report with everything he knew about the Watergate matter, inviting him to take a retreat toCamp David to do so. Dean went to Camp David and did some work on a report, but since he was one of the cover-up's chief participants, the task put him in the difficult position of relating his own involvement as well as that of others; he correctly concluded that higher-ups were fitting him for the role of scapegoat. Dean did not complete the report.[11]
On March 23, the five Watergate burglars, along with G. Gordon Liddy and E. Howard Hunt, were sentenced with stiff fines and prison time of up to 40 years.[citation needed]
On April 6, Dean hired an attorney and began cooperating withSenate Watergate investigators, while continuing to work as Nixon's Chief White House Counsel and participating in cover-up efforts, not disclosing this obvious conflict to Nixon until some time later. Dean was also receiving advice from the attorney he hired, Charles Shaffer, on matters involving the vulnerabilities of other White House staff.[citation needed]
Dean continued to provide information to the prosecutors, who were able to make enormous progress on the cover-up, which until then they had virtually ignored, concentrating on the actual burglary and events preceding it. Dean also appeared before the Watergategrand jury, where he took theFifth Amendment numerous times to avoid incriminating himself, and in order to save his testimony for theSenate Watergate hearings.[11]
Coupled with his sense of distance from Nixon's inner circle, the "Berlin Wall" of advisors Haldeman and Ehrlichman, Dean sensed he was going to become the Watergate scapegoat and returned to Washington without completing his report. Nixon fired Dean on April 30, 1973, the same day he announced the resignations of Haldeman and Ehrlichman and US Attorney GeneralRichard Kleindienst.
When Nixon learned that Dean had begun cooperating with federal prosecutors, he pressed Kleindienst not to give Dean immunity from prosecution, telling him that Dean was lying to the Justice Department about his conversations with the president. On April 17, 1973, Nixon told Assistant Attorney GeneralHenry Petersen (who was overseeing the Watergate investigation) that he did not want any member of the White House to be granted immunity from prosecution. Petersen informed Nixon that this could cause problems for the prosecution of the case, but Nixon publicly announced his position that evening.[12] It was alleged[who?] that Nixon's motivation for preventing Dean from getting immunity was to prevent him from testifying against key Nixon aides and Nixon himself.[citation needed]
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On June 25, 1973, Dean began his testimony before theSenate Watergate Committee. The committee had voted to grant himuse immunity (doing so in a divided vote in a private session that was then changed to a unanimous vote and announced that way to the public). In his testimony, he implicated administration officials, including Mitchell, Nixon, and himself. His testimony attracted very high television ratings since he was breaking new ground in the investigation, and media attention grew apace, with more detailed newspaper coverage. Dean was the first administration official to accuse Nixon of direct involvement with Watergate and the resulting cover-up in press interviews.[13][14][15]
When it was revealed that Nixon had secretly recorded all meetings in theOval Office, famous psychologist and memory researcherUlric Neisser analyzed Dean's recollections of the meetings, as expressed through his testimony, in comparison to the meetings' actual recordings.[16] A sharp critic of studying memory in a laboratory setting, Neisser saw "a valuable data trove" in Dean's recall.[17]
Neisser found that, despite Dean's confidence, the tapes proved that his memory was anything but a tape recorder.[18] Dean failed to recall any conversations verbatim, and often failed to recall the gist of conversations correctly.[18] Neisser did not explain the difference as one of deception; rather, he thought that the evidence supported the theory that memory is not akin to a tape recorder and instead should be thought of as reconstructions of information that are greatly affected by rehearsal, or attempts at replay.[16]
Dean pleaded guilty toobstruction of justice before Watergate trial judgeJohn Sirica on October 19, 1973. He admitted supervising payments of "hush money" to the Watergate burglars, notably E. Howard Hunt, and revealed the existence ofNixon's enemies list. WatergateSpecial ProsecutorArchibald Cox was interested in meeting with Dean and planned to do so a few days later, but Cox wasfired by Nixon the next day; it was not until a month later that Cox was replaced byLeon Jaworski. On August 2, 1974, Sirica handed down a sentence to Dean of one to four years in a minimum-security prison. But when Dean surrendered as scheduled on September 3, he was diverted to the custody ofU.S. Marshals and kept instead atFort Holabird (nearBaltimore, Maryland) in a special "safe house" primarily used for witnesses against theMafia. He spent his days at the offices of Jaworski, the Watergate Special Prosecutor, and testifying in the trial of Watergate conspirators Mitchell, Haldeman, Ehrlichman,Robert Mardian, andKenneth Parkinson, which concluded in December. All except Parkinson were convicted, largely based upon Dean's evidence. Dean's lawyer moved to have his sentence reduced and on January 8, Sirica granted the motion, adjusting Dean's sentence to time served, which was four months. With his plea tofelony offenses, Dean wasdisbarred as a lawyer inVirginia and the District of Columbia.[19][20]
Shortly after Watergate, Dean became aninvestment banker, author and lecturer based inBeverly Hills, California. He chronicled his White House experiences, with a focus on Watergate, in the memoirsBlind Ambition (1976) andLost Honor (1982).Blind Ambition wasghostwritten by futurePulitzer Prize-winning journalistTaylor Branch[21] and later made intoa 1979 TV miniseries.
In 1992, Dean hired attorneyNeil Papiano and brought the first in a series of defamation suits against G. Gordon Liddy for claims in Liddy's bookWill andSt. Martin's Press for its publication of the bookSilent Coup byLen Colodny andRobert Gettlin.Silent Coup alleged that Dean masterminded theWatergate burglaries and the Watergate coverup and that the true aim of the burglaries was to seize information implicating Dean and the former Maureen "Mo" Biner (his then-fiancée) in a prostitution ring. After hearing of Colodny's work, Liddy issued a revised paperback version ofWill supporting Colodny's theory.[22] This theory was subsequently the subject of the 1992A&E NetworkInvestigative Reports series programThe Key to Watergate.[23][24]
In the preface to his 2006 bookConservatives Without Conscience, Dean strongly denied Colodny's theory, pointing out that Colodny's chief source (Phillip Mackin Bailley) had been in and out of mental institutions. Dean settled the defamation suit against Colodny and his publisher, St. Martin's Press, on terms that Dean wrote in the book's preface he could not divulge under the conditions of the settlement, other than that "the Deans were satisfied." The case of Dean vs. Liddy was dismissed without prejudice.[25] Also in 2006, Dean appeared as an interviewee in the documentaryThe U.S. vs. John Lennon, about the Nixon administration's efforts to keepJohn Lennon out of the United States.
Dean retired from investment banking in 2000 while continuing to work as an author and lecturer, becoming a columnist forFindLaw'sWrit online magazine.
In 2001, Dean publishedThe Rehnquist Choice: The Untold Story of the Nixon Appointment that Redefined the Supreme Court, an exposé of the White House's selection process for a newSupreme Court justice in 1971, which led to the appointment ofWilliam Rehnquist.[26] He resides inBeverly Hills, California.
In 2008, Dean co-editedPure Goldwater, a collection of writings by the 1964 Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. Senator Barry Goldwater, in part as an act of fealty to the man who defined his political ideals. His co-editor was Goldwater's son Barry Goldwater, Jr.[27]
HistorianStanley Kutler was accused of editing his transcripts of the Nixon tapes to make Dean appear in a more favorable light.[28]
On September 17, 2009, Dean appeared onCountdown with new allegations about Watergate. He said he had found information via the Nixon tapes that showed what the burglars were after: information on a kickback scheme involving theDemocratic National Convention inMiami Beach, Florida. Dean also asserts that Nixon did not directly order the break-in, but that Ehrlichman ordered it on Nixon's behalf.[29]
In speaking engagements in 2014, Dean called Watergate a "lawyers' scandal" that, for all the bad, ushered in needed legal ethics reforms.[30]
In 2004, Dean wrote a book heavily critical of the administration ofGeorge W. Bush,Worse than Watergate, in which he called for theimpeachment of Bush and Vice PresidentDick Cheney for allegedly lying to Congress.[31]
His next book, released in 2006, wasConservatives without Conscience, a play on Barry Goldwater's bookThe Conscience of a Conservative. In it, he asserts that post-Goldwater conservatism has been co-opted by people with authoritarian personalities and policies, citing data fromBob Altemeyer. According to Dean, modern conservatism, specifically on theChristian Right, embraces obedience, inequality, intolerance, and strong intrusive government, in stark contrast to Goldwater's philosophies and policies. Using Altemeyer's scholarly work, he contends that there is a tendency toward ethically questionable political practices when authoritarians are in power and that the current political situation is dangerously unsound because of it. Dean cites the behavior of key members of theRepublican leadership, including George W. Bush, Dick Cheney,Tom DeLay,Newt Gingrich andBill Frist, as clear evidence of a relationship between modern right-wing conservatism and this authoritarian approach to governance. He places particular emphasis on the abdication of checks and balances by the Republican Congress and on the dishonesty of the conservative intellectual class in support of the Republican Party, as a result of the obedience and arrogance innate to the authoritarian mentality.[32]
After it became known that Bush authorizedNSA wiretaps without warrants, Dean asserted that Bush is "the first President to admit to an impeachable offense".[33] On March 31, 2006, Dean testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee during hearings on censuring Bush over the issue. SenatorRussell Feingold, who sponsored the censure resolution, introduced Dean as a "patriot" who put "rule of law above the interests of the president." In his testimony, Dean asserted that Nixon covered up Watergate because he believed it was in the interest of national security. This sparked a sharp debate with RepublicanSouth Carolina senatorLindsey Graham, who repeatedly asserted that Nixon authorized the break-in at Democratic headquarters. Dean finally replied, "You're showing you don't know that subject very well." Spectators laughed, and soon the senator was "sputtering mad".[34]
Dean's 2007 bookBroken Government: How Republican Rule Destroyed the Legislative, Executive and Judicial Branches is, as he wrote in its introduction, the third volume of an unplanned trilogy. In this latest book, Dean, who has repeatedly called himself a "Goldwater conservative", built onWorse Than Watergate andConservatives Without Conscience to argue that the Republican Party has gravely damaged all three branches of the federal government in the service of ideological rigidity and with no attention to the public interest or the general good. Dean concludes that conservatism must regenerate itself to remain true to its core ideals of limited government and the rule of law.[35]
Dean later emerged as a strong critic ofDonald Trump, saying in 2017 that he was even worse than Nixon. He said, "It's a nightmare. They don't know what their jeopardy is. They don't know what they're looking at. They don't know if they're a part of a conspiracy that might unfold. They don't know whether to hire lawyers or not, how they're going to pay for them if they do. It's an unpleasant place."[36][37]
In February 2018, Dean warned thatRick Gates's testimony may be "the end" of Trump's presidency.[38][39]
In September 2018, Dean warned againstBrett Kavanaugh's confirmation to theUnited States Supreme Court,[40][41][42] a main concern being that the appointment would result in "the mostpresidential-powers-friendly court" in modern times.[43][44]
On November 7, 2018, the day after the midterm elections, Trump forced Attorney GeneralJeff Sessions to resign. Dean commented on the removal in colorful terms, saying it "seems to be planned like a murder" and that Special CounselRobert Mueller likely had contingency plans, possibly including sealed indictments.[45][46]
In early June 2019, Dean testified, along with various U.S. attorneys and legal experts, before the House Judiciary Committee on the implications of, and potential actions as a result of, theMueller report.[47][48]
In 2022, Dean said theJanuary 6 Committee had an overwhelming case against Trump.[49] In 2024, Dean said theTrump v. United States ruling essentially affirms Nixon's famous statement during theNixon interviews: "When the president does it, that means that it is not illegal."[50] Dean said Nixon "would have survived" the Watergate scandal under the ruling "because the evidence against him was based on official acts the Supreme Court has deemed immune from prosecution." Dean called the ruling “a radical decision by a radical court” and “judicial activism on steroids.”[51][52] Dean elaborated his thoughts on the ruling:
“Well, there’s actually two rulings in this decision. There’s a 6-3 for presumptive immunity, but there’s also a 5-4 on you can’t even have the evidence of official conduct come to play… This is very…this to me, appears to certainly influence the existing law on presidential conduct [and] what’s available…evidentiary speaking.Amy Coney Barrett said she didn’t think that it should be so restricted as the decision of the court itself was, so I think that Nixon would have survived. I think he would have walked under this ruling.”[51]
Dean had previously said Nixon might have survived that same scandal ifFox News had existed during that time (1970s).[53][54][55] He said:
“I think there’s more likelihood (Nixon) might have survived if there’d been a Fox News.”[55]
Dean frequently served as a guest on the formerMSNBC andCurrent TV news program,Countdown with Keith Olbermann, andThe Randi Rhodes Show onPremiere Radio Networks.
In the 1979 TV mini-seriesBlind Ambition, Dean was played byMartin Sheen. In the 1995 filmNixon, directed byOliver Stone, Dean was played byDavid Hyde Pierce. In the 1999 filmDick, Dean was played byJim Breuer. In the 2022 TV mini-seriesGaslit, Dean was played byDan Stevens. In the 2023 TV mini-seriesWhite House Plumbers, Dean was played byDomhnall Gleeson.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
| Legal offices | ||
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| Preceded by | White House Counsel 1970–1973 | Succeeded by |
