Nixon White House Counsel John Dean argues there is evidence of collusion in the Mueller report
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Former White House Counsel John Dean during a congressional hearing on Monday drew parallels between the Mueller report and Watergate, also arguing the report does contain evidence of collusion.
Dean, a key Watergate witness who served as Richard Nixon's White House counsel, testified before the House Judiciary Committee on Monday and told lawmakers, "I think there is evidence, incidentally, in the report of collusion." He went on to argue there have been "a number of well-done articles that draw on the different contacts between the Trump people and the Russians and make a fairly strong case for collusion."
Mueller in his report did not establish a criminal conspiracy between the Trump 2016 campaign and Russia, and he did not determine whether Trump obstructed justice. Mueller's report noted that the investigation was looking into "criminal conspiracy as defined in federal law, not the commonly discussed term 'collusion.'"
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Dean in his testimony also drew parallels between the Mueller report and the Watergate road map. "In many ways, the Mueller report is to President Trump what the so-called Watergate road map...was to President Richard Nixon," he said.
In prepared remarks submitted to the committee, Dean walked through what he called "remarkable parallels" between the Mueller report and Watergate; for instance, he compares Trump telling FBI Director James Comey to let go of an investigation into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn to Nixon asking his chief of staff to ensure the FBI would not to go further with its Watergate investigation. "The words Nixon used were strikingly like those uttered by President Trump," Dean writes.
Trump ahead of this congressional testimony on Monday slammed Dean on Twitter, saying that he is "disgraced" and again writing, "No Collusion - No Obstruction!"
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
Buddhist monks’ US walk for peaceUnder the Radar Crowds have turned out on the roads from California to Washington and ‘millions are finding hope in their journey’
-
American universities are losing ground to their foreign counterpartsThe Explainer While Harvard is still near the top, other colleges have slipped
-
How to navigate dating apps to find ‘the one’The Week Recommends Put an end to endless swiping and make real romantic connections
-
Judge rejects California’s ICE mask ban, OKs ID lawSpeed Read Federal law enforcement agents can wear masks but must display clear identification
-
Lawmakers say Epstein files implicate 6 more menSpeed Read The Trump department apparently blacked out the names of several people who should have been identified
-
Japan’s Takaichi cements power with snap election winSpeed Read President Donald Trump congratulated the conservative prime minister
-
Trump sues IRS for $10B over tax record leaksSpeed Read The president is claiming ‘reputational and financial harm’ from leaks of his tax information between 2018 and 2020
-
Trump, Senate Democrats reach DHS funding dealSpeed Read The deal will fund most of the government through September and the Department of Homeland Security for two weeks
-
Fed holds rates steady, bucking Trump pressureSpeed Read The Federal Reserve voted to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged
-
Judge slams ICE violations amid growing backlashSpeed Read ‘ICE is not a law unto itself,’ said a federal judge after the agency violated at least 96 court orders
-
Rep. Ilhan Omar attacked with unknown liquidSpeed Read This ‘small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work’
