John Dean, who helped take down Richard Nixon, said audio of the secret tape between Donald Trump and former longtime attorney Michael Cohen aired Tuesday on CNN "bolsters" Cohen's truth.
Dean, President Nixon's White House attorney and central figure in orchestrating the Watergate cover-up, later cooperated with federal prosecutors and congressional investigators in building a case against Nixon. He became a hero of sorts, but his story was not believed by many until a presidential aide revealed the existence of a White House taping system which recorded all important Oval Office meetings.
The scandal eventually led to Nixon's resignation.
"The only way you can really hear a tape is with a foot pedal where you can reverse and listen and listen and listen. Each time I've listened to this tape, I've heard something different or a little bit more," Dean told CNN's Don Lemon when asked about his reaction to the tape.
"If he wants to do what I did, having the tape to back you up is certainly nice. I didn't know tapes were there. I suspected they were there, but didn't know initially when I broke rank and started talking. After my testimony is when the tapes came out. But I think this does put the lie to the Trump people on their version of this story as I hear it. It certainly comports with what Michael has been saying, so this bolsters his truth."
Dean also said it seems as though Cohen wants to tell the truth, "and he's showing how they have tried to distort his positions even before he's come out and said a word. So, I think this helps him in that regard."
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