On Monday's edition of CNN's "New Day," former Nixon White House Counsel John Dean suggested that the most precarious and most consequential witness in this week's impeachment hearings will be EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland — because he is facing accusations of lying to Congress and has the most at stake.
"I submit, we will see the one who saw Roger Stone get convicted on seven counts of lying and witness tampering on Friday and the one who will testify under penalty of perjury in public on Wednesday," said anchor John Berman. "How much do you think that does and should weigh on him?"
"I agree with you, John," said Dean, who was a crucial player in the Watergate scandal after cutting a plea bargain to cooperate against Nixon. "That’s a — you kind of have a huge influence on any witness who might be on the edge. And Sondland is. He has now been refocused a couple times. He’s come up in the hearings. He’s — he is — his life and future is on the block this week. He has a lot of very important conversations. He is the one witness who could give up this president and change the entire dynamics of these hearings."
"Whether he will or not, I don’t know. But I think he’s got to be thinking about it," added Dean. "He may also — there is a possibility he’ll take the Fifth Amendment. He feels jeopardy from his earlier testimony. His lawyers might well be asking for immunity for him. That could then open up a whole other door."
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