The first-ever full account of Nixon’s extensive ties to the American Mafia, from a veteran White House reporter.

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 by Don Fulsom offers a carefully reported, deeply researched account of Richard Nixon’s secret connections to America’s top crime lords.

 

Don Fulsom is an adjunct professor of government at American University. He is the author of Treason: Nixon and the 1968 Election and Nixon’s Darkest Secrets. A White House correspondent during five different presidencies—and a UPI bureau chief in Washington for seven years—he has written articles for The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, and Esquire, among others, and has been interviewed about politics on major television networks, including CNN and Fox. He lives in Washington, D.C.

 

“A pulpy book that plays out historical conspiracy theory with a chilling specificity.”—Kirkus

“Nixon tried to present a straight and narrow image to the world, but Fulsom reveals a man who loved hanging out with gangsters, gambling, making obscene profits on real estate and looing to benefit only one person—himself” —New York Daily News

“His book is as chilling as his topic… But in the end, accusations, conspiracy theories and bad company aside, the book is about Richard Nixon, a president who continues to fascinate and frustrate easy assessments.” —The Washington Times

“Nixon in bed with the mafia! Don Fulsom reveals new and disturbing information linking the ‘law and order’ president to still more mendacity and hypocrisy.” —Richard Ben-Veniste, Watergate prosecutor