how many attorney generals have gone to prison

by Rory Tremblay 7 min read

What did Attorney General John Mitchell say when he went to prison?

John Newton Mitchell (September 15, 1913 – November 9, 1988) was the 67th Attorney General of the United States under President Richard Nixon and chairman of Nixon's 1968 and 1972 presidential campaigns.Prior to that, he had been a municipal bond lawyer and one of Nixon's closest personal friends.He was tried and convicted as a result of his involvement in the …

Who were the members of the White House who went to jail?

May 18, 2018 · John Mitchell went to prison for conspiracy, perjury, and obstruction of justice. From “In Prison With John Mitchell,” a 1979 Washingtonian story by Ronald James (the pen name of a television news producer serving time for cocaine trafficking), who was in prison with former Attorney General John Mitchell. Shortly before noon on June 22, 1977, a chauffeured Cadillac …

What's the problem with the Attorney General?

We all know what happened: Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward went on to win the Pulitzer and John Mitchell went to prison, charged with conspiracy, perjury and obstruction of justice. It was the first time in U. S. history that an Attorney General had been convicted of criminal activities.

Who was sworn in as Attorney General in 1969?

Jan 30, 2021 · U.S. Attorney General “Too many people go to too many prisons for far too long” “Too many people go to too many prisons for far too long for no good law enforcement reason.… Statutes passed by legislatures that mandate sentences, irrespective of the unique facts of an individual case, too often bear no relation to the conduct at issue ...

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Who was the attorney general in the Nixon case?

United States v. Nixon. John Newton Mitchell (September 5, 1913 – November 9, 1988) was an American lawyer, the 67th Attorney General of the United States under President Richard Nixon, chairman of Nixon's 1968 and 1972 presidential campaigns, and a convicted criminal. Prior to that, he had been a municipal bond lawyer and one ...

Who was the attorney general in Nixon v. United States?

For other people named John Mitchell, see John Mitchell (disambiguation). United States v. Nixon. John Newton Mitchell (September 5, 1913 – November 9, 1988) was an American lawyer, the 67th Attorney General of the United States under President Richard Nixon, chairman of Nixon's 1968 and 1972 presidential campaigns, and a convicted criminal.

Why was Mitchell in prison?

Due to multiple crimes he committed in the Watergate affair, Mitchell was sentenced to prison in 1977 and served 19 months. As Attorney General, he was noted for personifying the "law-and-order" positions of the Nixon Administration, amid several high-profile anti-war demonstrations.

What did Mitchell say about the Justice Department?

He brought conspiracy charges against critics of the Vietnam War, likening them to brown shirts of the Nazi era in Germany. Mitchell expressed a reluctance to involve the Justice Department in some civil rights issues. "The Department of Justice is a law enforcement agency," he told reporters.

How long was Mitchell in jail?

The sentence was later reduced to one to four years by United States district court Judge John J. Sirica. Mitchell served only 19 months of his sentence at Federal Prison Camp, Montgomery (in Maxwell Air Force Base) in Montgomery, Alabama, a minimum-security prison, before being released on parole for medical reasons.

What did Mitchell do to suppress crime?

From the outset, Mitchell strove to suppress what many Americans saw as major threats to their safety : urban crime, black unrest, and war resistance. He called for the use of "no-knock" warrants for police to enter homes, frisking suspects without a warrant, wiretapping, preventive detention, the use of federal troops to repress crime in the capital, a restructured Supreme Court, and a slowdown in school desegregation. "This country is going so far to the right you won't recognize it," he told a reporter.

Who was in prison with John Mitchell?

From “In Prison With John Mitchell,” a 1979 Washingtonian story by Ronald James (the pen name of a television news producer serving time for cocaine trafficking), who was in prison with former Attorney General John Mitchell. Shortly before noon on June 22, 1977, a chauffeured Cadillac edged up a shrub-lined road toward the inevitable….John Newton ...

What was Mitchell's first meal in prison?

For his first meal in prison, Mitchell was taken to lunch by an inmate from the Receiving and Discharge office. His first confrontation with one of his fellow inmates took place in the chow hall.

Did Mitchell have a roommate?

He occupied the lower bunk in the two-man cubicle and had no roommate. Then a huge black inmate was moved into Mitchell’s cube and assigned the top bunk. It became immediately apparent that Mitchell would not warm up to the idea, or the reality, of having a man bunked above him.

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1777–1897

  1. Matthew Lyon (DR-KY). First Congressman to be recommended for censure after spitting on Roger Griswold (Federalist-Connecticut). The censure failed to pass. Separately, found guilty of violating Al...
  2. Charles F. Mitchell(R-NY) U.S. Representative from New York's 33rd District was convicted o…
  1. Matthew Lyon (DR-KY). First Congressman to be recommended for censure after spitting on Roger Griswold (Federalist-Connecticut). The censure failed to pass. Separately, found guilty of violating Al...
  2. Charles F. Mitchell(R-NY) U.S. Representative from New York's 33rd District was convicted of forgery, sentenced to one year in prison and fined, though he was paroled early due to poor health (1841).
  3. Robert Smalls (R-SC) U.S. Representative from South Carolina was charged with accepting a $5,000 bribe during 1877 in relation to a government printing contract and found guilty. Smalls was pardone...

1909–1913

  • Legislative branch
    1. William LorimerSenator (R-IL), The 'blond boss of Chicago' was found guilty of accepting bribes in 1912.
  • Judicial branch
    1. Robert W. Archbald (R) Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, was convicted of corruption in 1912.
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1921–1923

  • Executive branch
    1. Albert Fall (R) Secretary of the Interior who was bribed by Harry F. Sinclair for control of the Teapot Dome federal oil reserves in Wyoming. He was the first U.S. cabinet member to ever be convicted; he served two years in prison (1922).
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1923–1929

  • Executive branch
    1. William P. MacCracken Jr. (R) Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Aeronautics convicted of contempt of congress for the Air Mail scandal. (1934): 436
  • Legislative branch
    1. John W. Langley (R-KY) convicted of violating the Volstead Act (Prohibition). He had also been caught trying to bribe a Prohibition officer. He was sentenced to two years, after which his wife Katherine G. Langleyran for Congress in his place and won two full terms (1926).
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1929–1933

  • Legislative branch
    1. Harry E. Rowbottom(R-IN) was convicted in Federal court of accepting bribes from persons who sought post office appointments. He served one year in Leavenworth (1931).
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1933–1945

  • Legislative branch
    1. Michael J. Hogan(R-NY) was convicted of bribery and sentenced to a year and a day in a Federal Penitentiary (1935). 2. George Ernest Foulkes(D-MI) was convicted of bribery. (1935) 3. Donald F. Snow(R-ME) was convicted of bribery. (1935) 4. John H. Hoeppel(D-CA) convicted of s…
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1945–1953

  • Legislative branch
    1. James M. Curley (D-MA) fined $1,000 and served six months for fraud before Harry S. Trumancommuted the rest of his sentence (1947). 2. Andrew J. May(D-KY) convicted of accepting bribes from a war munitions manufacturer. Was sentenced to 9 months in prison, afte…
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1953–1961

  • Legislative branch
    1. Orland K. Armstrong(R-MS) was convicted of fraud. (1953) 2. Ernest K. Bramblett(R-CA) received a suspended sentence and a $5,000 fine for making false statements in connection with payroll padding and kickbacks from congressional employees (1954). 3. Thomas J. Lane (D-MA…
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1961–1963

  • Legislative branch
    1. Thomas F. Johnson(D-MD) was convicted of conspiracy and conflict of interest regarding the receipt of illegal gratuities (1962).
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