The Boston Globe shows how, during the Senate Watergate hearings, Fred Thompson (left in above picture) was a mole for the Nixon White House:
When Thompson learned of Butterfield’s admission, he leaked the revelation to Nixon’s counsel, J. Fred Buzhardt .
“Even though I had no authority to act for the committee, I decided to call Fred Buzhardt at home” to tell him that the committee had learned about the taping system, Thompson wrote. “I wanted to be sure that the White House was fully aware of what was to be disclosed so that it could take appropriate action.”
Armstrong said he and other Democratic staffers had long been convinced that Thompson was leaking information about the investigation to the White House. The committee, for example, had obtained a memo written by Buzhardt that Democratic staffers believed was based on information leaked by Thompson.
“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,” according to one investigator. Reading how Thompson tried to help Richard Nixon suppress the truth provides new perspective to Thompson’s support of Scooter Libby, which helps suppress the truth about the run up to the Iraq war.
Um… so say some Democratic staffers? Thompson tried so hard to protect Nixon that he… ended up asking some of the crucial questions that led to Nixon’s downfall?
Sounds to me like Fred was loyal to the president at first but changed his mind based on the facts. Wouldn’t that be a refreshing change in the White House?
Some people are picking up on this story before they read the books mentioned thinking they hooked a winner.
Sorry…. Armstrong and Dean of course are bitter towards Thompson.. Wouldn’t you be? Thompson gave his opinion of Armstrong in his book, and it was not a very flattering one, and Dean was Nixon’s stooge and under inverstigation by Thompson. Did you ever see the movie Nixon? Heck, it was Dean’s character in the movie cussing at Thompson on the screen. Dash, on the other hand, spoke highly of Thompson in his memoir. The author of the Globe piece kindly left that out, and refused to interview any of the staffers on the actual committee. George McGovern and Hubert Humphrey both said positive things about Thompson and how he went after both parties in the investigation into the milk funds and if their was prior knowledge. Of course, the author of the piece leaves that out as well.
So much for honest reporting, and some grasping at straws for a juicy headline.
To cite Sam Dash as saying nice things about Fred Thompson failed to disclose that this same Sam Dash was actually a member of the Ken Starr team against Clinton right up until Starr’s publication of his report.
Also, Dean made it clear from the get-go when he turned state’s evidence against Nixon that the Baker-Thompson team had been feeding him as Nixon’s counsel and the Nixon White House crew inside committee info. So when Dean switched sides, he was faced with a known Nixon mole. So why wouldn’t there be hostility there with Fred T?
Um… so say some Democratic staffers?
Some people are picking up on this story before they read the books mentioned thinking they hooked a winner.
You’re right in that there’s a liar concerned here. Perhaps you might want to check the person who made the claim , in his own book: Fred Thompson.
“Even though I had no authority to act for the committee, I decided to call Fred Buzhardt at home” to tell him that the committee had learned about the taping system, Thompson wrote. “I wanted to be sure that the White House was fully aware of what was to be disclosed so that it could take appropriate action.”
Georgette points out the key line in her comment missed by some. This is hardly either dishonest reporting or grasping at straws. The report that Thompson was a mole for Nixon is news. The significance of this remains regardless of how Thompson conducted himself afterwards. Thompson engaged in activities with the intent of covering up crimes committed by the Nixon administration, just as he is supporting the same with regards to the Bush administration today.