John Dean Gives Statement On Potential Trump Obstruction At House Judiciary Committee
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[John Dean Gives Statement On Potential Trump Obstruction At House Judiciary Committee]
[John Wesley Dean III (Former attorney who served as White House Counsel for United States President Richard Nixon from July 1970 until April 1973:] Source: LYBIO.net
Chairman Nadler, [coughs] [coughs] – Excuse me – Ranking Member Collins, the last time I appeared before your committee was July 11, 1974, during the impeachment inquiry of President Richard Nixon. Clearly, I am not here as a fact witness.
I accepted the invitation to come here today because I hope I can give a bit of historical perspective to the Mueller Report.
In many ways the Mueller Report is to President Trump what the so-called Watergate “Road Map” (officially titled “Grand Jury Report and Recommendation Concerning Transmission of Evidence to the House of Representatives”) was to President Richard Nixon.
Stated a little differently, Special Counsel Mueller has provided this committee with a road map.
Drawing from my testimony I would like to offer a few – actually just one – I’m going to focus on parallels I find in the Mueller Report – I laid out in my prepared statement six examples.
The examples are illustrative rather than exhaustive, let me turn to the sixth… and anybody who has any questions about the prior five, I’m happy to address.
The Sixth is the Mueller Reports effort regarding the influence of witnesses with pardons. As the citation shows it’s spread out throughout the report.
Mr. Mueller addresses the question of whether President Trump dangled pardons or offered other favorable treatment to Michael Cone, Paul Manafort, Michael Cone [Michael Cohen] – whose name is redacted based on educated conjecture – I think that’s pretty clear who it is.
In the question is on whether – in return for their pardons they agreed to – of the suggestion of a pardon – he was seeking them to keep their silence and how they coordinated with investigators.
But also the Mueller Report offers a powerful legal analysis that, notwithstanding the fact the pardon power is one of the most unrestricted of presidential powers, it cannot be used for improper purposes. And I give the cite of that argument.
What’s interesting is – Richard Nixon who used the pardon in a similar way recognized that it was improper.
For example in December 1972 Chuck Colson went into see the President to get a pardon – a commitment for [E. Howard Hunt] Howard Hunt, who he had been responsible for bringing into the White House, and whose wife recently died in a crash and he felt he couldn’t withstand a trial and didn’t want to spend the rest of his life in jail.
So he was seeking a pardon assurance from Chuck Colson, the President reluctantly agreed to do that.
And when Hunt was given the word – so called “Cuban Americans” who were part of the Water Gate operation they also took their cue from Hunt and pled.
In my March 21st conversation with Nixon we got into the subjects of pardons and he at that point said, he very clearly understood to grant pardons it would be wrong.
I cite the actual exchange from that conversation.
There’s one that I did not cite in here… is I learned in a later tape that [John D.] Ehrlichman had been asked by the President to offer me a Pardon – to protect me and hopefully encourage me from not breaking rank.
[John Wesley Dean III:] Source: LYBIO.net
Ehrlichman knew that was wrong. So he didn’t offer that pardon.
In one of my last conversations with Richard Nixon he told me in a very peculiar manner getting up from his desk in the E.O.B Office and going across the office and in a stage whisper saying to me, “John, I made a mistake talking to Colson about clemency for Hunt, didn’t I?” And I said, “Yes, Mr. President. That was probably obstruction of justice.”
When and [Holmen] and Ehrlichman were departing they pled with the White House that they be given pardons. I think because Nixon knew he could only compound his situation at that point that he refused to even entertain the request.
[John Dean:] Source: LYBIO.net
Finally let me close on the note, and I explained this at some length. That I certainly hope Don McGahn is a key witness before this committee. Because of my testimony and the model code of the A.B.A. today, makes very clear in rule 1.13 that Mr. McGahn represents, not Donald Trump but the Office of the President. His client is the Office of the President. And I think he owes that office – his testimony before this committee. Thank you.
John Dean Gives Statement On Potential Trump Obstruction At House Judiciary Committee. In my March 21st conversation with Nixon we got into the subjects of pardons and he at that point said, he very clearly understood to grant pardons it would be wrong. I cite the actual exchange from that conversation. Complete Full Transcript, Dialogue, Remarks, Saying, Quotes, Words And Text.