Political Wire

John Dean Criticizes Mueller for Not Subpoenaing Trump

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Former Nixon White House counsel John Dean told CNN that special counsel Robert Mueller not pursuing a subpoena for President Trump was akin to not pursuing the Nixon tapes containing his conversations about the Watergate scandal.

Said Dean: “This is a man who if it had been Richard Nixon, wouldn’t go after the tapes because it would take too long. And I think that’s something that’s going to hang over this investigation, hang over Mueller, because he really didn’t vigorously pursue it as he might’ve.”

Why Cohen’s Testimony May Help Take Down Trump

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John Dean: “There are several parallels between my testimony before Congress in 1973, about President Richard Nixon and his White House, and Michael Cohen’s testimony this week about President Trump and his business practices… We both found ourselves speaking before Congress, in multiple open and closed venues, about criminal conduct of a sitting president.”

“There is one overarching similarity that Mr. Cohen and I share. He came to understand and reject Mr. Trump as I did Mr. Nixon.”

“I was surprised by the number of people who surfaced to support my account. The same, I suspect, will happen for Michael Cohen. The Mafia’s code of omertà has no force in public service. I have heard no one other than Roger Stone say he will go to jail for Donald Trump.”

Dean Says Congress Will Be Forced to Begin Impeachment

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Former Nixon White House lawyer John Dean told CNN he thinks Congress will have “little choice” but to begin impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump following a Friday evening court filing involving Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen.

Said Dean: “In his allocution, he implicated Trump directly. And he was doing it, his instructions, that’s why the payments were made and they were for his benefit.”

John Dean Says Kavanaugh Would Shield the White House

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Former Nixon White House counsel John Dean “warned the Senate Judiciary Committee on Friday that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s could tilt the high court in President Trump’s favor,” Politico reports.

Said Dean: “If Judge Kavanaugh is confirmed, I submit we will have the most pro-presidential powers Supreme Court in the modern era.”

He added: “With Judge Kavanaugh on the court, we should anticipate a majority that will find it increasingly difficult to discover any presidential actions which they do not approve.”

Dean Says Trump Has a ‘Real Problem’

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Former Nixon White House counsel John Dean told CNN that President Trump “has got a real problem” after the latest revelations regarding White House counsel Don McGahn’s interviews with special counsel investigators.

Said Dean: “I think that’s a lot of testimony, that’s a lot of visiting, and that’s just the bottom of what they know. It could well have been much more than that. It appears to have been ongoing. So, I think Trump has got a real problem here. And I’m not sure how he’s going to handle it.”

Bonus Quote of the Day

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“I am actually honored to be on his enemies list as I was on Nixon’s when I made it there. This is a president I hold in such low esteem I would be fretting if he said something nice.”

— Former Nixon White House counsel John Dean, quoted by Axios, on being called a “RAT” by President Trump.

Cohen’s Lawyer Is Talking to John Dean

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“Lanny Davis, an attorney for former longtime Donald Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, said he has been reaching out regularly over the past few months to John Dean, the former White House counsel who helped bring down the presidency of Richard Nixon,” Politico reports.

“Cohen has sent signals that he might cooperate in the investigations surrounding his former boss. The fact that his lawyer is talking frequently to Dean — who was name-checked by Trump on Sunday in the context of recent reports that White House counsel Don McGahn is cooperating with investigators — adds new hints that Cohen could be open to being a potential witness in any case against Trump.”

Quote of the Day

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“They didn’t know how much I knew. I knew much more than they thought I did. With Flynn and his proximity, he had even more proximity than I did.”

— Former Nixon White House counsel John Dean, talking to Politico, comparing Watergate to the current investigation of possible Trump collusion with Russia.

Quote of the Day

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“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.”

— Former Nixon White House counsel John Dean, quoted by the Los Angeles Times, on what it must be like to work in Trump’s White House.

Extra Bonus Quote of the Day

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“There’s just never been any question in my mind about that. I’ve been inside a cover-up. I know how they look and feel. And every signal they’re sending is: ‘We’re covering this thing up.'”

— Ex-Nixon White House counsel John Dean, quoted by The Hill, on the Trump administration’s reaction to ongoing investigations of Russian ties and Trump’s wiretapping accusations.

Taegan Goddard

Taegan Goddard

Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.

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