Nixon White House Counsel: Mueller Report ‘More Damning’ Than Watergate Report
“If you endeavor to obstruct you’ve violated the obstruction statute,” John Dean said.

Chris Wattie/Reuters
John Dean, President Nixon’s former White House Counsel, said Thursday that the Mueller report was “more damning” than the Watergate report. Dean was deeply involved in the Watergate cover-up and pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice in 1973. “I looked on my shelf for the Senate Watergate Committee report, I looked at the Iran Contra report. I also looked at the Ken Starr report,” Dean told CNN’s Jake Tapper. “In 400 words, this report from the special counsel is more damning than all those reports about a President, this is really a devastating report.” According to the report, Special Counsel Robert Mueller determined that Trump tried to control the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. “While this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him,” the report states. Dean argued that there was an indisputable violation. “As far as obstruction goes, this is clear obstruction,” Dean said. “The obstruction statute is an endeavor statute… if you endeavor to obstruct you’ve violated the obstruction statute.”
Former WH counsel John Dean: “I looked on my shelf for the Senate Watergate Committee report, I looked at the Iran Contra report. I also looked at the Ken Starr report … In 400 words, this report from the special counsel is more damning than all those reports about a President." pic.twitter.com/9WuUaicKvt
— The Lead CNN (@TheLeadCNN) April 18, 2019

Kamala Harris’ Playlist: Yes, It’s Political, But It’s Smart
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
- Account (completed)
- Payment (completed)
- Confirmation (completed)
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.
- 1Account
- 2Payment
- 3Confirmation