WASHINGTON (AP) — Former U.S. Sen. Howard Baker Jr., who asked what President Richard Nixon knew about Watergate, has died. He was 88.
U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander confirmed Baker’s death in a news release Thursday.
Baker, a Republican, served 18 years in the Senate. He earned the respect of Republicans and Democrats alike and rose to the post of majority leader. He served as White House chief of staff at the end of the Reagan administration and was U.S. ambassador to Japan during President George W. Bush’s first term.
His question at the 1973 Senate Watergate hearings — “What did the president know and when did he know it?” — became famous. It instantly focused the nation’s attention on the cover-up that — more than the Watergate break-in itself — eventually brought down Nixon’s presidency.
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I’m sorry to hear it; I have always admired Howard Baker. He was an American first, and a Republican second.
Sad. One of the last ‘true Republicans’. Nashville will go into morning…it has already started here in the legal community. Baker was well-respected.
Boy, it really brings it home just what has happened to our political scene when you think back on how Baker and his political opposites actually worked together placing the common good of the country before their own political fortunes. sigh
Remember the good old days, when senators did the correct thing for our country, regardless of what party they were affiliated with?
Truly a “public servant” and one of the best people regardless of party to serve in D.C. in my lifetime.