John Dean recently penned a 7,000 word defense of presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in a lengthy article appearing on the open source legal website Justia. The site’s recent news section “Verdict” carries his editorial. He maintains his analysis of testimony presented before Congress exonerates Mrs. Clinton of the accusation that she lied to Congress during her appearance before the Committee investigating the Benghazi tragedy.
John Dean, now aged 77 and retired, offered his remarks in the format of a legal brief. His writing scathingly attacked the motivations and credibility of two senior Republican members of Congress: Representative Bob Goodlatte and Representative Jason Chaffetz. They served as chairs of the Judiciary and the Oversight and Government Reform Committees in Congress, respectively, during the period in which legislators investigated the deaths of several American citizens and the burning and looting of the United States consulate in Benghazi, Libya.
Mr. Dean accuses the two Republic members of Congress of engaging in a McCarthy-style persecution of the retired Secretary of State and former First Lady. He concludes “no evidence at all” supports the proposition that Mrs. Clinton presented false information during her testimony. His editorial described the Republican committee chairmen of behaving like “banana-republic legislators” in their efforts to investigate the Benghazi incident. He suggests the two Congressional Chairmen would be arrested for their remarks about Mrs. Clinton if they not enjoyed legislative immunity.
John Dean first gained national media attention during the Watergate Era. As the White House counsel to Republican President Richard M. Nixon, he penned a now-infamous memo entitled “Dealing With Our Political Enemies” on August 16, 1971. It suggested ways to utilize available federal laws to counter political opponents of the Nixon Administration. The document subsequently became public during the course of the Watergate scandal.
During the Watergate Hearings, Congress called John Dean as a witness, and he presented testimony. He contributed significant information during the investigation of misconduct by Nixon Administration personnel. The scandal ultimately led to the arrest and conviction of several high ranking Nixon Administration officials and the resignation of the President. Mr. Dean later worked in the investment banking field, before retiring recently. The former Republican advisor to President Nixon offered his vigorous defense of Hillary Clinton from the perspective of someone with extensive experience testifying before Congress.
John Dean’s writings defended Mrs. Clinton by focusing on four points relating to the testimony of Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey. His editorial asked (and answered) these four issues:
- 1. Did the FBI Director’s testimony show Mrs. Clinton lied when she testified she had neither sent nor received emails marked “classified”?
- 2. Did the FBI Director’s testimony show Mrs. Clinton lied when she testified her lawyers went through every email?
- 3. Did the FBI Director’s testimony show Mrs. Clinton lied when she said she had only one server?
- 4. Did the FBI Director’s testimony show Mrs. Clinton lied when she testified before Congress that she had supplied all her work-related emails to Congress?
John Dean concluded that the FBI Director’s testimony did not prove Mrs. Clinton had lied to Congress. He also asserted his firm opinion that the former First Lady remains “far too savvy” to commit perjury.
Many Republicans may not consider John Dean’s eloquent defense of Mrs. Clinton relevant to the issue of whether or not she correctly characterized her role in events surrounding the Benghazi incident. Yet many Democrats will certainly appreciate John Dean’s strong sentiments.