MSNBC's O'Donnell aired Thompson ad without challenging its claim that Thompson helped "expose the truth during Watergate"

On the November 27 edition of MSNBC Live, during an interview with Liz Cheney, a supporter of former Sen. Fred Thompson (R-TN)'s presidential campaign, anchor Norah O'Donnell aired a clip of a television ad by the Thompson campaign titled "Service," in which the narrator calls Thompson a "courageous reformer, fighting corruption in both parties" who "[h]elp[ed] to expose the truth during Watergate." But rather than address the content of Thompson's ad, O'Donnell went on to ask Cheney, "How well does Fred Thompson have to do in Iowa?" In fact, contrary to the assertions in the ad, Thompson admitted in his 1975 memoir that, during his tenure as Republican counsel on the Senate Watergate committee, he leaked key information to the office of then-President Richard Nixon, informing the White House that the Watergate investigating committee was aware that White House conversations were taped. Further, Thompson reportedly canceled his 1997 Senate hearings on allegations of improper campaign fundraising before Democrats were able to present evidence of Republican wrongdoing.

As Media Matters for America has repeatedly noted, in his 1975 memoir, At That Point in Time: The Inside Story of the Senate Watergate Committee (Quadrangle/The New York Times Book Co.), Thompson wrote that after he learned that Nixon aide Alexander Butterfield had revealed to Watergate investigators the existence of a taping system that recorded Oval Office conversations, "[e]ven though I had no authority to act for the committee, I decided to call [White House counsel for Whitewater matters] Fred Buzhardt at home," to ensure that "the White House was fully aware of what was to be disclosed so that it could take appropriate action."

Boston Globe staff writer Michael Kranish reported in a July 4 article that Thompson's July 15, 1973, conversation with Buzhardt was "one of many Thompson leaks to the Nixon team, according to a former investigator for Democrats on the committee, Scott Armstrong, who remains upset at Thompson's actions." As Media Matters documented, in an interview with Kranish, Armstrong asserted that "Thompson was a mole for the White House," who was "working hammer and tong to defeat the investigation of finding out what happened to authorize Watergate and find out what the role of the president was." The Globe further reported that, when the paper asked about him "being a Nixon mole," rather than deny the charge, Thompson responded, "I'm glad all of this has finally caused someone to read my Watergate book, even though it's taken them over thirty years."

Further, contrary to the assertion in Thompson's ad that he "f[ought] corruption in both parties," Media Matters has repeatedly noted that while Thompson's 1997 campaign finance investigation by the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee did hear testimony from former Republican National Committee chairman Haley Barbour in July 1997, which "led to a Justice Department investigation into ... his role in soliciting foreign contributions for a tax-exempt Republican think tank," according to a November 1, 1997, Tampa Tribune article, Thompson reportedly shut down the investigation before Democrats were able to introduce evidence linking Republican lawmakers to Triad Management, a fundraising group that Democrats claimed -- and the Federal Election Commission (FEC) later agreed -- had skirted campaign finance laws. On October 30, 1997 -- the day before Thompson adjourned the hearings -- The New York Times reported that Senate investigators had found evidence of Triad's connections to Republican lawmakers, including members of the Governmental Affairs Committee itself. The Times added: "Hearings had been scheduled for this week before the Governmental Affairs Committee into Triad's campaign activities, but Republicans on the committee canceled them after Democratic members of the committee obtained names earlier this week of Triad's donors." Several other media outlets also reported that Thompson canceled the hearings just as they were about to turn to testimony about Triad. The Justice Department terminated its investigation of Barbour after a federal appeals court ruled in July 2000 that "there was no political contribution involved in the case, and therefore no crime had been committed," according to a September 15, 2000, United Press International article.

The website for Thompson's presidential campaign, like his ad, does not mention Thompson's leaks to Nixon, asserting only: "He gained national attention for leading the line of inquiry that revealed the audio-taping system in the White House Oval Office. Later, he documented his role in the hearings, writing the book, At That Point in Time: The Inside Story of the Senate Watergate Committee." Likewise, his website does not note that Thompson shut down the 1997 campaign finance hearings before the committee could turn its attention to Triad, instead asserting:

Twenty-five years after he'd gained national prominence as hard-charging counsel on the Watergate committee, Thompson again stepped into the investigation spotlight. In 1997, as chairman of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, he opened an investigation into attempts by the Chinese government to influence America policies and elections through, among other means, financing election campaigns. The investigation identified at least six Democrat donors and fundraisers, with ties to the Clinton Administration, who had laundered or aided in the laundering and distribution of foreign money into Democrat political party coffers. The investigation also exposed two Democrat Party donors with "a long-term relationship with a Chinese intelligence agency," according to the Senate committee's report.

From the 3 p.m. ET hour of the November 27 edition of MSNBC Live:

CHENEY: You'll see Senator Thompson spending a lot of time in Iowa. We're up on the air with a new ad, and it's a place that's very important to us and that, you know, we look forward to doing well there; we know we need to do well there.

O'DONNELL: We noticed today two new ads out by the Thompson campaign running in Iowa, probably in part because of those polls. Let's take a listen.

[begin video clip]

THOMPSON: I'm Fred Thompson and I approved this message.

ANNOUNCER: Called to public service in challenging times. A young federal prosecutor, tough on crime. Fred Thompson.

A courageous reformer, fighting corruption in both parties. Helping to expose the truth during Watergate, and sending --

[end video clip]

O'DONNELL: It's widely believed that Romney may win Iowa, he's been up for a long time, he's spent a lot of money there. How well does Fred Thompson have to do in Iowa? Third place?