The Mafia's President

Unbeknownst to most people even now, the election of 1968 placed the patron saint of the Mafia in the White House. In other words, Richard Nixon would go on to not only lead a criminal presidency; he would be totally indebted to our nation’s top mobsters.

By 1969, thanks in large part to his long-time campaign manager and political advisor Murray Chotiner, a lawyer who specialized in representing mobsters, Nixon had participated in secret criminal dealings for more than 20 years with sketchy figures such as Mickey Cohen, Mob financial guru Meyer Lansky, Teamsters union chief Jimmy Hoffa, and New Orleans Mafia boss Carlos Marcello. And with Chotiner as one of his key behind-the-scenes advisors in the White House, Nixon's ties to the Mafia didn't end there. The Mafia’s President reveals a mind-blowing litany of favors Nixon exchanged with these sinister characters over decades, ranging from springing Jimmy Hoffa from prison to banning the federal government from using the terms “Mafia” and “La Cosa Nostra.”

Drawing on newly released government tapes, documents, and other fresh information, The Mafia’s President offers a carefully reported, deeply researched account of Richard Nixon’s secret connections to America’s top crime lords.

Author Don Fulsom has written an excellent history of Richard Nixon, the Mafia, Nixon's political career, and his connection to the Mafia.  I was amazed reading it.  Given the now known connections and even connections known at the time; If the 24-hour news cycle existed in the 60's, Nixon would never have been elected president or vice-president.  It is surprising to me that it took until 1973 before an illegal event was finally connected to Nixon for his removal from office.

I am very questioning of Nixon's involvement in the JFK assassination, but his tight connections with the Mafia makes for a compelling argument.  No matter the often repeated phrase of Nixon's, "I'm not a crook," it seems to me that he was a perfect example of a political crook.

It is interesting to me that I was born in 1974; the year a president resigned in disgrace to avoid impeachment.  Then, my son was born in 1998; the year a president was impeached but not removed from office.  I wonder if I will have a grandson born the year a president is removed from office.  I know; I know.  Correlation does not mean causal.