Los Angeles Times

50 years after the Watergate break-in, John Dean relives the scandal that changed his life

LOS ANGELES — After John Dean gave his historic 1973 testimony on the Watergate scandal that eventually brought down the Nixon White House, he wanted to move on with his life. An obstruction of justice conviction prevented the former White House counsel from practicing law in Washington, D.C., and Virginia. He moved to Los Angeles with wife Maureen, took business courses at UCLA and worked as ...
John Dean at the Senate Watergate Hearings, in 1973..

LOS ANGELES — After John Dean gave his historic 1973 testimony on the Watergate scandal that eventually brought down the Nixon White House, he wanted to move on with his life.

An obstruction of justice conviction prevented the former White House counsel from practicing law in Washington, D.C., and Virginia. He moved to Los Angeles with wife Maureen, took business courses at UCLA and worked as an investment banker during the 1980s.

But Dean's inside knowledge on how the bungled burglary of Democratic National Committee headquarters on June 17, 1972, ultimately revealed an organized-crime-type mindset within the Nixon administration has kept him on the contact list of TV news guest bookers for decades.

He has been a go-to talking head whenever a presidential scandal is brewing, and the twice-impeached Donald Trump — whose desperate attempt to stay in the White House after losing the

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Times3 min read
U.S. Gymnastics Trials: Frederick Richard Flips His Way To Paris In All-around Triumph
MINNEAPOLIS — The man the internet knows as "Frederick Flips" will be flipping all the way to Paris. Frederick Richard won the all-around at the U.S. Olympic trials on Saturday at Target Center with a two-day all-around score of 170.500 to earn his f
Los Angeles Times4 min read
Appreciation: Comedian, Actor, Musician And Painter Martin Mull Mastered The Art Of Always Being Right For The Job
For anyone lucky enough to have experienced the long arc of his career, the death of droll, dry, deadpan Martin Mull, Thursday at 80, feels like the end of an era. A writer, songwriter, musician, comedian, comic actor and, out of the spotlight, a ser
Los Angeles Times3 min read
Signs Of Avian Flu Found In San Francisco Wastewater
LOS ANGELES — Signs of H5N1 bird flu virus have been detected at three wastewater sites in California’s Bay Area, according to sampling data. While positive wastewater samples have been found in seven other states, California is the only one that has

Related Books & Audiobooks