Overview

Richard Gordon Kleindienst served as the 68th Attorney General of the United States under President Richard Nixon from June 1972 to April 1973, making him the chief law enforcement officer during the critical early months of the Watergate scandal. Kleindienst had previously served as Deputy Attorney General under John Mitchell and was confirmed as AG only after contentious Senate hearings where he was questioned about the administration's settlement of an antitrust case against ITT Corporation in exchange for a campaign contribution. He resigned under pressure on April 30, 1973, the same day Nixon fired John Dean and accepted the resignations of H.R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman in the "Saturday Night Massacre" precursor known as the "Monday Night Massacre." Kleindienst became the first Attorney General in U.S. history to be convicted of a crime when he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of refusing to testify accurately before a Senate committee about the ITT affair. He had told senators that no one at the White House had contacted him about the ITT case, when in fact Nixon had personally called him and ordered him to drop the appeal. He received a suspended sentence of 30 days and a fine, prompting critics to decry the light punishment. His case illustrated how political loyalty corrupted the Justice Department's independence during the Nixon era.

Key Affiliations

Controversies & Concerns

Related Investigations (1)

Known Associates & Connections

Sources & Documentation

5 documented sources from official records, investigations, and reports