PERRspectives: Fred Thompson, Nixon Watergate Mole

July 5, 2007

Fred Thompson, Nixon Watergate Mole

Back in May, I contrasted the Watergate legend of Fred Thompson with his current role as a fundraiser and spokesman for the Scooter Libby Legal Defense Fund. As a Republican counsel to the Senate Watergate committee, Thompson famously asked Nixon aide Alexander Butterfield if there were listening devices in the White House. In 2007, he asked President Bush to pardon Libby, a convicted felon and former Cheney chief-of-staff.

As it turns out, Thompson's staunch defense of Plamegate mole Scooter Libby is very much in keeping with his own track record. As the Boston Globe detailed on Wednesday, Fred Thompson himself was a mole for the Nixon White House during the Senate Watergate hearings 30 years ago. As the Globe's Michael Kranish details:

The day before Senate Watergate Committee minority counsel Fred Thompson made the inquiry that launched him into the national spotlight -- asking an aide to President Nixon whether there was a White House taping system -- he telephoned Nixon's lawyer.
Thompson tipped off the White House that the committee knew about the taping system and would be making the information public. In his all-but-forgotten Watergate memoir, "At That Point in Time," Thompson said he acted with "no authority" in divulging the committee's knowledge of the tapes, which provided the evidence that led to Nixon's resignation. It was one of many Thompson leaks to the Nixon team, according to a former investigator for Democrats on the committee, Scott Armstrong, who remains upset at Thompson's actions.

"Thompson was a mole for the White House," Armstrong said in an interview. "Fred was working hammer and tong to defeat the investigation of finding out what happened to authorize Watergate and find out what the role of the president was."

Asked about the matter this week, Thompson -- who is preparing to run for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination -- responded via e-mail without addressing the specific charge of being a Nixon mole: "I'm glad all of this has finally caused someone to read my Watergate book, even though it's taken them over thirty years."

It's now clear that I was giving Fred Thompson far too much credit. Six weeks ago, I wrote:

All of which makes Thompson such an attractive 2008 standard bearer for many in his party. Like so many Republicans, Fred Thompson apparently no longer believes in law and order.

Apparently, he never did.

UPDATE: On Saturday, the AP provided more background on Fred Thompson's Watergate treachery. Transcripts from the Nixon tapes showed that the Nixon White House didn't think Thompson was very smart but still coached the young Senate Watergate committee counsel on how to cross-examine John Dean and other witnesses:

"Oh shit, that kid," Nixon said when told by his chief of staff, H.R. Haldeman, of Thompson's appointment on Feb. 22, 1973.
"Well, we're stuck with him," Haldeman said.

Nixon expressed concern that Thompson was not "very smart."

"Not extremely so," [Nixon lawyer Fred] Buzhardt agreed.

"But he's friendly," Nixon said.

"But he's friendly," Buzhardt agreed. "We are hoping, though, to work with Thompson and prepare him, if Dean does appear next week, to do a very thorough cross-examination."

Five days later, Buzhardt reported to Nixon that he had primed Thompson for the Dean cross-examination.

"I found Thompson most cooperative, feeling more Republican every day," Buzhardt said.

—Perrspective 3:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) |

5 Comments

I take it you had no problem with the would-be Nifong prosecution of those lacrosse boys? After all, the prosecutor is always in the right? That is so law-and-order of you?

Did you never consider for a single second that Fitzgerald abused his powers? That this was a prosecution in search of a crime? That there was no underlying crime? And that, if there were, the criminal is named Richard Armitage, who was the so-called leaker?

I didn't think so. This had nothing to do with the rule of law and everything to do with politics. By the way, Nixon is dead. But you would put someone more crooked than Nixon ever was back in the White House again, wouldn't you? I'm not calling for Nixon to be put back in there, but you are.

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