The attorney representing President Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen said he’s been seeking guidance from former President Nixon’s ex-counsel.
Lanny Davis told Politico on Sunday that he had reached out to John Dean, the former White House counsel who became a key witness in the Watergate scandal after pleading guilty to a single count of obstruction of justice.
“I reached out to my old friend John Dean because of what he went through with Watergate, and I saw some parallels to what Michael Cohen is experiencing,” Davis told the outlet.
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“I wanted to gain from John’s wisdom,” he continued.
Davis, who is also a columnist for The Hill, said he doesn’t think Cohen was deeply involved or has “detailed knowledge” like Dean had as a witness to Nixon’s crimes.
“But I did see some similarities and wanted to learn from what John went through,” he told Politico.
Davis said he first became friendly with Dean when the two were commenting on former President Clinton’s impeachment proceedings.
He said he isn’t getting legal advice for Cohen from Dean, but rather refreshing his own memory of the Watergate controversy.
Dean told Politico that he frequently talks to Davis, adding that another “person I’d really like to talk to is Guy Petrillo,” Cohen’s criminal defense lawyer.
Dean said last month that Cohen appears to be looking to strike a deal with prosecutors who are investigating him in New York for his business dealings.
“I don’t think it is boding well for the president,” Dean said on CNN. “It’s clear, as I read the situation, that Michael Cohen is looking for a deal and he is upping the stakes.”
He also recently praised Trump’s White House counsel Donald McGahn, who is reportedly cooperating with special counsel Robert Mueller in his investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.
“McGahn is doing right!” Dean tweeted on Saturday.