John Dean



John W. Dean III (born 1938) was White House counsel to Richard Nixon from 1970 to 1972. Dean is known for his role in the cover-up of the Watergate scandal and his subsequent testimony to Congress as a witness. His guilty plea to a single felony in exchange for becoming a significant witness for the prosecution resulted in a reduced prison sentence. After his plea, he was disbarred.

Quotes

 * We have a cancer within, close to the presidency, that's growing.
 * Said to Richard Nixon during the Watergate scandal (Tape of March 21, 1973).


 * I'm anything but skittish about government, but I must say this administration is truly scary and, given the times we live in, frighteningly dangerous.


 * This memorandum addresses the matter of how we can maximize the fact of our incumbency in dealing with persons known to be active in their opposition to our Administration, Stated a bit more bluntly—how we can use the available federal machinery to screw our political enemies.
 * Memorandum from Dean to Lawrence Higby dated August 16, 1971, regarding the purpose of Nixon's Enemies List

Authoritarian Nightmare (2020)

 * Brooklyn: Melville House. Co-written with Bob Altemeyer in third-person narrative style.


 * Eternal vigilance. Remember, no one said democracy would be easy.
 * p. 282