A former key witness in the Watergate investigation that brought down President Richard Nixon says indictments are on their way to Donald Trump.
John W Dean, who served as Mr Nixons White House Counsel before testifying against him, pointed out on Twitter
that former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen met with the Manhattan District Attorneys office for a seventh time on Wednesday.
From personal experience as a key witness I assure you that you do not visit a prosecutors office 7 times if they are not planning to indict those about whom you have knowledge, Dean tweeted
. It is only a matter of how many days until DA Vance indicts Donald & Co.
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Mr Dean then linked to a Reuters report
on the meeting.
The personal experience of which Mr Dean spoke is one shared by him and Mr Cohen, each of whom has delivered damning testimony against a sitting president. While Mr Dean famously admitted to his own involvement in a cover-up for Mr Nixon, Mr Cohen gave dramatic testimony
before Congress that he had delivered tens of thousands of dollars in hush money to two women who had allegedly had sexual affairs with Mr Trump.
That hush money allegation led Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance to open an investigation in 2018. The probe began by looking into the payments, but since then has expanded its scope to include Mr Trumps actions as a private businessman. The DA says hes investigating possibly extensive and protracted criminal conduct, potentially including tax fraud, insurance fraud, and falsification of business records.
Earlier this month, the investigation won a huge victory when the US Supreme Court allowed it to obtain millions of pages
of Mr Trumps tax returns, business records, and documents from his accountants.
Mr Cohen called the ruling a holy grail.
No charges have yet been announced, but Mr Dean clearly expects them soon. According to The Wall Street Journal, the DAs office is now especially focused on Mr Trumps Seven Springs estate in Westchester, New York, and has issued several subpoenas to find out if the Trump Organization inflated its value.
Mr Dean and Mr Cohen also share another personal experience: jail time. Before they flipped, both men had worked as fixers for the presidents they served Mr Dean as White House Counsel, and Mr Cohen as Mr Trumps lawyer until their actions landed them in prison.
Mr Dean served four months for obstruction of justice. Mr Cohen is still serving a three-year sentence, currently in home confinement, for violating several campaign finance and fraud laws.
