Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 26, 1973
Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, June 26, 1973
[00.29.54] Mr. THOMPSON. Fine. Just one small matter. I don't want to leave any inferences from the story I quoted a minute ago concerning your meeting with Mr. Dash. I don't know the source, and this is not the proper time to find out The source. The only thing I am sure of is that it was not Mr. Dash. I just want to put that on the record. I have no further questions. Senator ERVIN. Senator Talmadge. [00.30.20] Senator TALMADGE. Thank You, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Dean, you realize, of course that You have made very strong charges against the President, of the United States that involves him in criminal offenses, do you not ? Mr. DEAN. Yes, sir, I do. Senator TALMADGE. What makes you think that your credibility is, greater than that of the President, who denies what you have said? Mr. DEAN. Well, Senator, I have been asked to come up here, and tell the, truth. I have told it exactly the way I know it. I don't say that I--you are asking me a public relations questions really, in a sense, why I would have greater credibility than the President of the United States. I am telling you what I know. I am telling you just as I know it. Senator TALMADGE. Now, you are testifying, I believe, under immunity that this committee has granted to you. Mr. DEAN. That is correct. Senator TALMADGE. You would not be here testifying today, had we not granted that use immunity, would you? Mr. DEAN. I would probably be before the prosecutors downtown. Senator TALMADGE. 'NOW, you refused to testify before the grand jury, I believe, did you not? Mr. DEAN,. That is correct. Senator TALMADGE. You pled the fifth amendment there? Mr. DEAN. That is correct, Senator TALMADGE. You have been bargaining With them for immunity -which has not, yet been granted. Is that an accurate statement? Mr. DEAN. that at is correct, Senator. Senator TALMADGE. NOW, there have been various reports in the press; I know nothing whatever about their credence. Did you see an article in one of the Washington papers that you were kicked out of a law, firm here for violation of the canon of ethics? Mr. DEAN. I did, sir. Senator TALMADGE. Would you like to comment on that? Mr. sometime DEAN. Yes, I Would. To explain that is that I learned about that sometime after it had occurred. That was -when I had left--I had been on the hill working with the House Judiciary Committee. I had gone to a newly formed commission that was working on a revision of the Federal criminal laws and the Civil Service ran a normal civil service examination. As a result of that, they -went to a former employer, the employer indicated he had dismissed me for unethical reasons. The Deputy Director of the Commission brought this to my attention and said, is this true? I said, I am -flabbergasted to see this. I called a friend who had been in the firm at, the time, Who is another lawyer. I asked him if 'he would go to The person who had made the charge and if he could find out what in the -world this is all about. I explained to him the entire set, of facts and circumstances that had occurred. As a result of this man going to see the former partner who had dismissed me,, the statement was retracted in my civil service record. Also. I should note one of the reasons that I was prepared to go to the ethics committee at that point in time is because I was operating on the advice of counsel when I was involved in this investment, while I was still at this law firm. and I believe we had really a question of Personalities rather than a question of ethics involved. I would be happy to submit to the committee for its record the letter of counsel that I was operating on at the time this incident occurred, that I had sought legal advice as to whether this Was proper or improper because I did not Want to engage in it if it Was improper. Senator TALMADGE. If you will submit that for the record, we -will appreciate it. I judge from your statement that that was an unfair and unfounded attack on your professional ethics. Senator ERVIN. I would suggest that he read it. [00.34.00]