From NPR:
Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson’s first experience with big league politics thrust him in the spotlight as chief Republican counsel on the Senate committee investigating the Watergate scandal. Thompson’s pressing of former Nixon aide Alexander Butterfield led to revelations of the existence of recorded conversations in the Oval Office.
And according to NPR’s report, Thompson is very proud of that. But apparently there’s evidence to say that it wasn’t all Thompson’s doing.
Today, the Web site of Thompson’s presidential campaign says he “gained national attention for leading the line of inquiry that revealed the audio-taping system in the White House Oval Office.” But in other accounts, Thompson’s role in the Watergate probe was much more ambiguous.
One instance came at a hearing three weeks before Butterfield testified. The witness was John Dean, formerly Nixon’s chief counsel, then the star witness against the president.
Thompson opened his cross-examination with an attempt to disarm Dean: “I hope I’m not considered to be badgering you in any way, but I’m sure you realize, as one lawyer to another, that your actions and motivations are very relevant.”
Dean shot back, “In fact, if I were still at the White House, I’d probably be feeding you the questions to ask the person who’s sitting here.”
Thompson hesitated and then began, “Well, Mr. Dean,” as laughter rolled through the hearing room. “And if I were here as I am, I would respond as I have responded, that I don’t need any questions to be fed to me from anybody.”
In fact, Thompson was being fed information — by Nixon lawyer J. Fred Buzhardt. White House tapes, later made public, captured Nixon, Buzhardt and others discussing the cooperation of both Thompson and Baker, not once but several times.